


ℒ𝒾ℯ𝒷ℯ ℒ𝒾ℯ𝓈ℯ

by maggotzombie



Category: Henry Cavill - Fandom, Superman - All Media Types, The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, August Walker - Freeform, Clark Kent - Freeform, Explicit Language, F/M, Geralt of Rivia - Freeform, Henry Cavill - Freeform, Sex, Superman - Freeform, The Witcher - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:34:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22137892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maggotzombie/pseuds/maggotzombie
Summary: Dr. Liese Hartmann is a regular person, just like anybody else. She has two jobs for a living, speaks two languages, and comes from a laid back big family. Other than her silver hair, unorthodox for her line of work, she is anything but exceptional. And, yet, Henry’s eyes land directly on her in a crowd.Will he be bold enough to make a move on the mysterious doctor?
Relationships: Henry Cavill/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 102





	1. ᴘʀᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ

**Author's Note:**

> 𝕯𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖗
> 
> Welcome to “Liebe Liese”, a Henry Cavill fanfiction!
> 
> This is a work of fiction. Although it portrays real personalities in it, it does not mean the events depicted actually happened. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
> 
> English is not the author’s first language but she is very careful with grammar and spelling. Anyhow, mistakes happen.
> 
> The author has never visited the locations the story takes place nor is she a real doctor. Thorough research is conducted to make everything sound as accurate as possible. Even so, there are limitations. In this case, constructive criticism, as well as guidance, are more than welcome.

Henry has been trying to get the role of Geralt for months now and it’s been nothing but frustrating. So when he sees the silver-haired woman, his curiosity is instantly picked.

He finishes going through the red carpet and finally gets into the ballroom followed by his publicist, Lindsay. She makes sure his seat is as promised on the seating chart and leaves him to make small talk with the other people at the table.

The speeches don’t take too long to start and Henry is surprised to see her red dress and silver hair as she climbs onto the stage. She’s presented as dr. Liese Hartmann, head of the medical staff at Angela Davies Foundation.

“Thank you, Jack. You are very kind, as always,” She says at the microphone, looking at the president of the Foundation who introduced her. “Good evening everyone. I hope you are enjoying it and I promise I’m a doctor, not the Mother of Dragons from Game of Thrones,” She jokes, making the crowd laugh.

Dr. Liese Hartmann explains the work they do at the Foundation to treat children with leukemia. As she speaks, it’s very clear how passionate she is about it.

The woman tells the story of Angela Davis, who she refers to as a true angel and she wraps her speech with a full ballroom applauding her. She smiles, muttering a thank you before coming down from the stage.

It doesn’t seem the right time to approach her, so Henry keeps on his seat, listening to the rest of the speeches. The woman is nowhere to be found as dinner is being served and he keeps trying to catch a glimpse of the red dress. He finally sees her again as members of the Foundation start to go on the tables, asking how’s everything going, explaining more about the project and trying to get donations.

She’s holding a champagne glass while smiling down at the tables she’s talking to and, unfortunately to Henry, she doesn’t come to his table. Instead, she’s at a near table and as much as he wants to pay attention to the person talking to them, Henry seems pulled by her voice like a magnet.

After a few hours, he notices she changes from champagne to whiskey and stops mingling around. The furrowed brow and extreme concentration on her phone are what keeps Henry away.

About an hour later, the man finds himself free and the opportunity comes Liese walks to the bar. He follows her and gets to hear her request.

“Whiskey, neat,” Her voice is firm and decisive before looking back down at her phone.

“Same as the lady’s,” He says to the bartender.

Dr. Liese Hartmann turns to Henry, light brown eyes locking with his as she smiles politely. Then, her attention is back on the device on her hand and she’s moving away a minute later. Henry thanks the bartender for his drink and takes a sip, watching the woman walking out to the balcony before going after her.


	2. ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪ – 𝒮𝒾𝓁𝓋ℯ𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝒾𝓇

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey people! I was impressed to receive kudos on my first fanfic in AO3 and now I'm so excited about it hehe You may realize I switched the scotch for whiskey, silly silly but okay. I'm also sorry I took too long to update, I'm an over-thinker and I did major changes this chapter at least three times since I finished it many weeks ago lol  
> Hope you like it!

Liese sighs and blows a loose strand of hair from out of her face. She’s bored out of her mind.

The association she works for is throwing a benefit gala to raise funds for the treatment of children with leukemia and research of the disease. It has been draining since she had to prepare a speech but she’s just a doctor, only good with medicine, not words. So, speaking beautiful and meaningful things in front of people _and_ a bunch of celebrities is worse than sitting through a film from the Saw franchise.

She’s probably just overreacting, though. But it certainly isn’t fun going to events like this straight from a 13-hour shift. Liese hasn’t slept in the last nine hours, she hasn’t eaten in forever and the remaining three hours of the shift had been a hellish roller coaster. Try to do that and hold a smile while mingling around to talk about the wonders of the project. With a bit of luck, she could get two or three signed checks.

Liese approaches the bar area and sits down the empty glass of liquor. “Whiskey, neat,” She orders, glancing at the bartender before looking back at her phone.

The woman had long abandoned the champagne.

“Same as the lady’s,” A male voice says from her side.

Out of politeness, Liese acknowledges the man’s presence by looking at him and smiling briefly. He stares at her with interest as she thanks the bartender for the drink and simply moves away, without even taking a second look at him.

‘ _Just more thirty minutes and I’ll finally leave_ ’, Liese thinks to herself, stepping out on the empty balcony.

It’s freezing, that’s why it’s empty, but the woman isn’t bothered by it. She walks towards the railing, resting both hands on the cold stone. The chilly wind makes her realize she’s a bit drunk which is no surprise since she’s been nursing glasses of champagne and whiskey for the past two hours with an empty stomach.

“What a lady like you is doing all alone in the cold?” The deep voice makes her turn as the man from the bar approaches.

“What does make you think I’m alone?” She asks, looking at him and accepting the flirtation. “I’m with you, am I not?” The woman raises an eyebrow, sipping the brown liquor, and he smiles.

“Yes, you are,” He agrees. “I’m Henry Cavill and I believe you are Dr. Liese Hartmann, correct?” He frowns.

“I am,” She nods. “Nice to meet you, Henry. You look familiar,” Now she’s the one frowning. “I just can’t put my finger on it...” Her light brown eyes stay focused on his face.

Henry gives her a warm smile. “I get that quite a lot,” He confesses. “By the way, I must congratulate you. It was a brilliant speech.”

“Oh, please,” Liese scoffs, rolling her eyes and looking away. “Now I know you really want something from me because praise _that_ tells a lot. And it’s desperation,” She chuckles to not sound as rude as her words seemed.

The man chuckles as well, taking a step closer to her.

“Not at all,” He starts. “I can tell how passionate you’re about your work from what you’ve said.”

“Well, I’ll give you that,” The woman nods, raising her glass.

Henry clicks their glasses, and they sip their drinks without breaking eye contact. Liese licks her lips, and the man stares at it immediately as she places her glass back on the stone railing.

“So what kind of lady am I?” She asks, eyes focusing back on his.

He panics slightly as he minds go blank but before he knows, he’s talking. “You’re very smart, witty and you obviously pour your heart into your work,” The man wets his lips quickly and Liese part hers, tilting her head slightly and resting her glass in front of her chin. “Besides all of that, you’re gorgeous. You change the atmosphere of the room you’re in and it isn’t the red dress nor the silver hair,” He says. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re very interesting but you’re much more than the beautiful exterior. You’re simply genuine about everything.”

Liese keeps a stoical gaze until she cracks a side smile. “So you can read people?” She raises an eyebrow and he shrugs with a smirk. “Very well. So you understand why a lady like me sees no problem in being alone. In fact, our own companionship is more than enough,” Liese finally sips her drink.

“I do,” Henry nods.

“However, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy being with someone else at times,” The woman adds, moving to sit down at the sofa on the edge of the balcony.

“That’s good to know,” He says, following behind her.

She crosses her leg, adjusting the fabric to cover a bit more of the exposed skin from the split.

Henry simply pops open the button to his suit jacket. “Are you cold?” He frowns again, gazing at her uncovered shoulders and arms.

“I’m hungry,” She says confesses right away.

The man laughs heartily, tilting his head back, shoulders shaking and all. “Is there something I can do to help with that?” He asks.

“I don’t think so,” Liese replies, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Why is that?” He keeps the handsome smile on his face.

“Because you seem too fit,” She boldly pokes his chest with her index finger and his eyes follow it before he erupts in laughter again.

“Wow,” The man wiggles his eyebrows. “Nobody ever insulted me by saying I’m in a good shape,” He points out.

“Well, I’m craving for a burger and it doesn’t seem your choice of food,” She says with a slight head shake, and he gives her a weird look. “Women don’t need to be pregnant to crave food,” Liese explains, rolling her eyes.

“I eat burgers,” Henry defends himself. “Not always, but I do,” He emphasizes it.

“Is it cheat day?” The woman smirks at him, flirting hard.

“If you want to,” He says, keeping her gaze until he stands up. “Come on, we can get it on the way.”

“To where?” She frowns, looking up at him.

“Why don’t we find out?” He replies, offering a hand.

Liese stares at him for a second before slowly opening a smirk and accepting his hand. She picks her clutch and leaves her glass of whiskey on the coffee table by the side of Henry’s before taking his hand. Once standing up, he motions for her to lead the way, and she does.

The ballroom now seems extremely too hot and it’s hard to breathe. Liese doesn’t bother to say goodbye to anyone, she simply walks towards the exit with the man following behind her.

“Dr. Hartmann,” Someone calls, and she halts, raising her head to look at the source: a photographer. “Mr. Cavill,” He says, after recognizing the man. “A photo, if I may?” He asks.

Henry looks at Liese, waiting for her answer as he puts his phone back into the inside pocket of the suit jacket. “Of course,” The woman politely smiles, back into the sweet doctor persona.

She transfers her clutch to the left hand and adjusts her skirt, making the split side of it more apparent. Liese looks back at Henry, and he gets closer, placing his hand on the small of her back. They look at the camera and a photo is taken. The woman then leans back against Henry’s body and puts a hand on her waist, sticking her exposed leg further out. This time, the photographer takes several photos of them.

“That’s it. Thank you so much,” The man with the camera says with a nod.

“Sure,” Liese smiles again.

“Very nice speech, doctor,” The photographer continues.

“Oh, you’re very kind,” She looks down, holding her skirt to not stumble upon it. “Have a good night,” She offers another smile.

“For you guys as well,” He says.

“Thanks, mate,” Henry nods at him, following the woman. “It looks like our getaway is no longer a secret,” He whispers to her, keeping his hand on her back.

She looks at him with an amused smile. “Is that a problem?”

“Oh, not at all,” He shakes his head. “I am lucky that a lady like you wants to be seen with me,” Henry keeps up with the joke, and she actually laughs for the first time.

“Well, I will be seen with you, yes,” Liese gives him a look with a smile, then motions to the expecting fans waiting outside with her head.

“Oh,” He says, looking at the crowd that hasn’t recognized him yet.

“Yup,” The woman nods, turning to face him. “Did you drive here?”

“No, but I have a car waiting. He should be here by now,” Henry replies, looking around as people start to scream for him. “There he is,” He motions to a sleek black SUV with a driver waiting outside, looking at them.

“Oh, Chris,” Liese smiles at the sight of the driver and waves, getting a small smile and a wave back.

Henry is surprised by two things: first, she knows him, and secondly, he never saw the man’s features change from the permanent scowl. Oh, and they work together for quite some time now.

Girls scream his name louder and security has to stop them from getting to him. “I’ll be there in a second,” He says to her.

The woman nods and lets him to his devices, walking towards Chris. “Dr. Hartmann,” The driver greets her, opening the backseat door for her.

“You know you can call me Liese, Chris,” She chides him but with a smile, giving him a quick kiss on the cheeks. “How are you? It’s been quite some time!”

As usual, he accepts the warm greeting awkwardly. “It does, dr Har…” He stops himself at her raised eyebrow. “Liese,” He concedes with a contained chuckle. “I’m very good, thank you for asking. How about you, ma’am?”

“Not even my mum likes to be called ma’am but I’m fine as well,” She replies and the driver chuckles more naturally.

“It’s nice seeing you,” He confesses.

“Yes, I couldn’t agree more!” Liese smiles widely.

“Uhm…” Chris pauses, glancing at the celebrity who employs him. “If you don’t mind…”

The woman interrupts him by shaking her head and waving her hand dismissively. “You know I don’t. Speak freely,” She says, looking at him with the same smile.

“Are you joining Mr. Cavill tonight?” He asks, focused on her.

“Only if you say it’s fine,” Liese replies truthfully.

The driver’s eyes almost pop out from its sockets. “Dr. Hartmann!” He says in astonishment.

She smiles. “You know what I mean,” The woman moves a strand of hair to the side. “You probably know him better than I do. Is there something that I should know?” She raises an eyebrow.

“No,” Chris shakes his head, understanding her concern. “He’s a very nice guy, humble. Definitely different from other famous people I worked with but in a good way,” He informs her.

Liese nods and smiles. “Then, yes. I’m joining him,” She confirms, and he nods. “How’s little Michael, by the way?” Liese frowns slightly.

They didn’t realize the man approaching him and, gladly, he only catches the last sentence. ‘ _Who’s Michael now?_ ’ Henry thinks to himself as he walks towards the woman and his driver.

Chris doesn’t have the opportunity to answer as he looks at the actor. “Are we ready?” He asks.

“Yes, sir,” The driver nods.

Henry gives him a look. “I told you Henry is enough,” He says.

Liese chuckles at it and Chris looks at the couple. “My apologies, sir.”

“That is also prohibited,” The man says, reaching out a hand for Liese. “Let me help you in.”

She gathers as much of the dress fabric as she could, accepting Henry’s hand. He, too, raises her skirt to free her feet but careful enough to not expose her. Liese scoots over to behind the driver’s seat and adjusts her dress as Henry slides in by her side.

“How do you know Chris?” He asks quickly as the man walks around the vehicle.

“We worked together,” She replies promptly, putting on the seat belt. “He’s an EMT and a great one,” Liese adds.

His eyebrows shoot to his hairline. “I didn’t know that,” He confesses as Chris opens the door. “Chris, why didn’t you tell me you’re an EMT?” He asks the man right away.

“Oh, I thought you already knew, sir,” The man says, putting his own seat belt. “I’m also an Army veteran. That’s exactly why miss Garcia hired me.”

“Whoa. I don’t know shit,” Henry says, shaking his head and the woman chuckles. “Oh, don’t call Dany ‘miss Garcia’ in front of her.”

“I wouldn’t do that again!” Chris shakes his head, remembering what happened when he did that for the first time. Henry chuckles. “Where should I go?”

“First food for the lady and then straight home,” He instructs. “I think the only place open right now is McDonald’s, though,” He looks at the woman by his side.

“McDonald’s it is,” She says and the driver nods once again, moving the car.

“So you two met when Chris worked as an EMT?” The man asks her with a slight frown after they pull out the ballroom.

“I convinced him to become an EMT, actually,” Liese replies. “Many years ago Chris and his wife rushed to the ER with their infant son, Michael, who choked on food. I was the attending physician but Chris was the one who saved his son. He cleared Mike’s airways as much as he could until I got him.”

“Wow. And then you become an EMT?” Henry looks at his driver.

He nods. “Dr. Hartmann doesn’t take no for an answer,” He says.

At McDonald’s drive-thru, the doctor orders food for her and the two men – against their will, for the record – saying to Henry that she won’t share hers. Beside the Big Mac, the woman gets herself a mint Matchmaker McFlurry which she manages to eat it all before getting to wherever they’re going. It wasn’t planned, but she saw an advertisement and got curious about it instantly. For Henry, she gets a Big Tasty with Bacon and large fries with coke for Chris.

The car parks in front of a mews house in South Kensington and Henry hops out of it, reaching out a hand for her. Liese struggles to hold the empty foam cup as well as the brown paper bag with her food without tripping over her dress.

“Oof,” The woman breathes out, clutching on to Henry’s shoulder to steady herself on five-inch stiletto heels.

The muscular arm around her waist also helps a lot.

“Allow me to take this, Dr. Hartmann,” Chris says, picking the empty foam cup from her hand.

“Thanks,” She smiles. “Oh, my clutch,” She turns back to the car, bending over the backseat to retrieve the small purse.

“Got it?” Henry asks, trying his best to not stare at her rear.

“Uh-huh…” The woman replies before even reaching the purse. Raising her leg a little bit, she finally retrieves the item. “Got it,” She says, pushing herself back into her feet.

“Wonderful,” He says, holding her at arm's length and turning to the driver. “Thanks, Chris. Have a good night.”

“Bye, Chris. It was nice seeing you,” She says to the man, holding onto Henry’s arm.

“You too, Dr. Hartmann,” The driver replies, closing the backseat door. “The new hair color is very nice, by the way.”

“Thank you,” She genuinely smiles at him. “And it’s Liese.”

Chris chuckles. “Have a good night.”

The woman waves as he gets into the car, walking alongside Henry towards his front door. As he unlocks it, an eager dog whimper can be heard from outside and the massive bear greets them with a wagging tail. The man sustains his weight as he jumps on him and Liese slips inside the house. The dog quickly shifts his interest from his owner to her which she gladly accepts.

“Oh my God, hey!” She smiles, immediately kneeling down to pet him. “ _Du bist das Bärchen, nicht ich,_ ” Liese whispers to the pet in her native language and the man frowns at it. “ _Nein, McDonald's kann du nicht haben. Es tut dir nicht gut,_ ” She says as the dog gets interested in her food bag.

“Ok, Kal,” Henry starts. “Give her some space,” He says to the dog and he obeys, walking away.

“He’s so adorable,” The woman says with a smile, accepting the hand to help her stand up.

Once she gets to his eye level, Liese gasps in surprise as the man pushes her against the door, pinning her. His lips cover hers immediately and she melts into his mouth. A small moan escapes her mouth when Henry’s tongue slips into it. At the sound, he squeezes her against the wood even harder, almost feeling every inch of her small frame with his body. The kiss is slow even though they both want it desperately since they were at that freezing balcony.

“That ice cream does taste good,” Henry whispers into her lips. “Who would have thought that mint and whiskey are a good match?” He adds and Liese chuckles.

“Well, I told you so,” She says, eyes locked on his and that’s when she notices it, even in the dark. “You have sectoral heterochromia!” The woman muses, surprised to not have seen it before.

“What?” He chuckles.

“The brown bit in your beautiful blue eyes,” The doctor explains. “That’s sectoral heterochromia.”

“Oh, that,” Henry smiles, moving to turn the lights on. “I forgot you’re a doctor,” He adds, looking back at her. “You really like your ridiculously difficult words.”

“I’m a consultant physician. You should see pathologists,” Liese shakes her head slightly, making him chuckle. The man grabs her hand and leads her to the kitchen. As Henry turns the lights on, the woman’s stomach rumbles loudly. “Oh, God,” She makes a face, putting a hand over it.

“When was the last time you ate something?” He asks, watching her sitting on the countertop.

“I’ll sit here,” She informs instead of asking. “I don’t know,” The woman answers the question, crossing her legs and searching for her food into the bag. “I was working a thirteen-hour shift and then went straight to the gala.”

“Are you serious?” Henry asks, peeling off his jacket suit.

“Uh-huh,” She nods, finally biting into the big burger.

The man proceeds to take off his tie, leaving it over the sofa’s backrest, and then unbuttons enough of his dress shirt to see muscle under it. “Kal, don’t,” He says to the dog who eyes the tie in interest. “Get out of there,” Henry tells him, folding his sleeves.

The dog has ruined enough amount of his ties since Henry got him.

“Kal,” The woman whispers. “Why do I recognize this name?” She asks to herself with a frown before shaking her head.

Henry turns back to her. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Milk,” Is the prompt answer.

He frowns. “Milk?” He says, getting it from the fridge anyway. "That's an odd combination."

“Well, I had enough of liquor today. This is supposed to make me not have a hangover tomorrow morning,” Liese explains, accepting the full glass he’s offering.

“Smart,” He leans against the kitchen island right in front of her and grabs one of her ankles.

Liese watches as he starts to unfasten the stiletto heels’ strap from her ankle. “I’m a doctor, right?” She raises an eyebrow as he looks up at her with a smile on his face.

“You say you are,” He replies, massaging her free foot with one hand while the other puts the shoe on the counter beside her. “But how can I be sure?” Henry asks playfully, grabbing her other ankle and doing the same thing.

The woman gently puts her burger down, reaching out to her clutch and getting her hospital ID from it. “How about this?” She puts it on his face as he massages her other foot. “Oh, that feels so good,” The woman moans unintentionally.

“St. Thomas, you’re fancy,” He teases her, smiling widely. “It can be fake, though.”

Liese rolls her eyes. “Okay,” She looks up, trying to think of something while chewing. “Ask me anything then.”

So he does. “Will you sit on my face tonight?” Henry looks at her with the most innocent eyes and squeezing her calf.

She laughs. “Is that what you wanted to ask all this time?”

“Maybe,” He blinks naively at her.

“Then eat your burger so you can be strong enough to bear me,” She says, motioning to the junk food sitting on the counter.

“Oh, you are this feisty?” Henry continues teasing, picking the boxed burger.

“Don’t you wanna find out?” Liese teases him too, running her foot down on his abs.

She reaches really low but never gets to his crotch then crossing her leg again in a much sexier way. The expression on his face when he looks up at her again is so amusing that Liese can’t hold her laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what you guys think it'll happen? Drop a comment and let's chat! :D


	3. ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪɪ – 𝒫𝒾𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒶𝓁𝓀

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos guys! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to come out, I had a little bit of a writer's block because I didn't like how it was coming out... Well, in this chapter we have some smut so read at your own risk.

She wakes up to a dog whimper coming from very close to her face. Then a warm tongue licks her fingers.

“Kal, don’t,” The deep male voice laced with sleep whispers from behind Liese.

He reaches out to shoosh the pet away, his chest touching her bare skin.

“Kal,” The woman whispers to herself, waking up. “I know that name,” She says, taking a deep breath and grabbing Henry’s hand.

When she opens her eyes, the dog’s face is right in front of it, making her chuckle. Liese scratches his head and squeezes Henry’s hand before bringing it to her lips and turning to look at him.

“Hey,” She smiles sleepily at him.

“Good morning,” He greets, his short hair curled in an adorable way.

“Good morning,” She replies. “Sorry I passed out on you last night.” The woman wrinkles her nose at the memory.

“Don’t worry,” Henry says, supporting his weight on his right arm to hover her. “I was exhausted too.”

_“Take this off of me, please,” Liese says out of breath after pushing Henry down to sit on his bed._

_“How?” He asks, looking up at her._

_She’s standing in the middle of his legs, trying to reach the zipper on her back. “This fucking zipper,” She turns around so he could see it._

_“No, love,” Henry starts quietly, holding her hips. “That’s what I’ll do to you.”_

_It only adds up to her arousal and she squirms in the dress. “Then take it off of me at once!” Liese says, exasperated._

_“Of course, love,” He replies and she whimpers at the pet name he just gave her._

_Henry reaches out to the small zipper and slides it down until it stops. He tries to gently force it but it doesn’t bulge. So, he patiently zips the dress back up and tries to open the zipper again to have it stuck in the same spot._

_“It’s stuck,” He looks up at her and she sighs._

_“Force it down, then,” The woman says._

_“I did,” Henry says._

_“Harder,” She insists and the noise that follows doesn’t need explanation._

_“I broke it,” He says sheepishly._

_Liese can’t help but chuckle at the situation. “Oh God,” She cries out, trying to think of a solution. “Tear it off.”_

_“Are you sure?” The man asks immediately, staring at her back with a frown._

_“Yeees, come on!” In desperation, she tries to grind herself against him._

_“Alright,” Henry chuckles, getting a hold of the parts the zipper opened. “Are you really sure?” He asks once again to be sure and tease a little more._

_“Henry!” It’s the answer._

_The sound of his laugh mixes with tissue being ripped apart. Just then Liese realizes that the dress was way too tight. She takes a deep breath, feeling Henry’s lips on the exposed skin of her back, and quickly takes off the straps, shoving the dress all the way down._

_“Finally,” She turns around in a swift move and pushes him back into the bed, climbing on top of his body._

“Hmmm,” Liese hums, looking into his eyes and bringing a hand to his face. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

”It is,” He says, lowering his head to kiss her.

It doesn’t take much for it to escalate and the woman nudges Henry to stop before she couldn’t.

“Hold that thought,” She says against his lips. “I have to go to the bathroom,” The woman chuckles as he grunts.

“Fine,” He falls back on the bed almost pouting.

Liese quickly pushes the covers off of her body to find herself completely naked under it. She looks around for her underwear and slides it up on her legs before also dressing Henry’s shirt from last night. On the way to the bathroom attached to the bedroom, the woman scratches her head, bothered by all the bobby-pins tugging on her hair.

“I bet this is a rat nest,” She says to herself. “Oh God, I look like a zombie,” She frowns at her reflection, makeup smudged from sleep or from the sex, maybe. “Do you have a spare toothbrush?” She asks Henry, looking at the vanity sink. “Why do you have makeup wipes? Can I use these makeup wipes as well?” She asks herself and then him.

“In the drawer and yes, sure,” He replies to both her questions.

After pulling what seems like thousands of bobby-pins out of her hair, Liese massages her scalp, shaking her loose strands slightly. It’s more curled than normally due to the hairstyle she did for the gala. The woman folds the oversized sleeves of Henry’s shirt before starting to brush her teeth.

Removing makeup is the most annoying thing in the world, so she leaves it to the end. Her fake eyelashes aren’t anywhere to be found but when she washes her face, the natural blonde ones are almost invisible against the light.

Rubbing her tired eyes, the woman walks back into the room. Henry is still at the same place on the bed, looking at his phone, and she walks straight towards him. His attention is on her as soon as she climbs on top of him, straddling his lap and pushing his phone out of his hand. The device bounces on the mattress and he touches the curled strand of her hair while the other hand rests on her thigh.

“Why do you have makeup wipes?” She asks, looking down at him.

“Because I wear makeup,” He says, curling the long strand on his index finger.

“All the time, I bet,” Liese teases, biting her bottom lip.

“Unfortunately, not,” The man smiles, squeezing her thigh. “I’m this handsome.”

“Oh, that you are,” She replies, bending down and resting her hands on his chest and her chin above it.

Henry stares into her eyes, now very close, while he caresses her back. “And you’re gorgeous as well, breathtaking,” He says, bringing a hand to caress her cheek.

She bates her lashes at him but stays quiet.

“Is this your real hair?” The man frowns, staring at the white and almost invisible roots of her hair. “Not a wig?”

“Yes, it is really my hair,” Liese chuckles a bit.

“So, if I pull it, it won’t come out in my hand?” He dares, raising an eyebrow.

“No…” She starts and grunts.

The woman raises herself from his chest as Henry grabs a handful of hair on the back of her neck and tugs it with a controlled amount of strength.

“It really doesn’t, huh?” He smirks.

Liese glances down at him and raises an eyebrow with a different look in her eyes. She supports herself with a hand on the mattress and the other on his chest.

“Satisfied?” She asks.

“I was hoping you would do that, actually,” Henry replies, teasing.

“Oh, is that so?” The woman stares at his chest as her hand travels down on his torso slowly, fingertips taking its time to explore the muscles under it.

“Hmm,” He hums, reacting to her touch immediately.

From her sitting spot on his lap, the woman can feel him hardening under her as her fingers move down. Biting her bottom lip, she drags her nails down to the waistband of his boxer briefs, fiddling with it.

“Already this excited, Mr. Cavill?” She looks up at him, raising an eyebrow.

Henry’s eyes don’t leave her as the woman slides down on his lap, nestling herself in between his legs as she pulls down his underwear. He chokes on his own breath as Liese takes the tip of his cock into her mouth, the sudden warmth making him curse. The long silver hair falls down on her shoulder and onto his thighs, looking like a halo around her head.

“Oh shit,” Henry curses as she moves her tongue.

He gathers her hair in a ponytail and Liese looks up at him. The woman sucks half of his length while pumping the half she couldn’t take into her mouth. Or so he thought. In a bold move, Liese takes all of him inside her mouth on a deep throat which makes his eyes roll to the back of his head.

“Goddamnit,” The man hisses, letting go of her hair. “Don’t do that again.”

Liese sits back, stroking him. “Why? Don’t you like it?” She asks, looking at him with a smirk.

“Oh, I do,” He nods, sitting up and breathing heavily. “I just don’t wanna come in your mouth,” He adds, running his thumb on her bottom lip.

Looking into his eyes, she wraps her lips around his thumb. The woman sucks it in the same way she was sucking his dick and Henry’s eyes darken.

“Dr. Liese Hartmann, you are a very naughty woman,” The man concludes.

In response, she moans and bites his thumb with a bright smile. Henry shakes his head slightly and pulls her by the back of her neck, bringing her plump lips to his. The woman pushes his body back to mattress with her own, straddling him. The man squeezes her ass and Liese's unintentional response is to grind her hips against his. He hisses and she bits his bottom lip before flipping her hair back while sitting back on his lap.

“Take this off,” He says, motioning to her panties.

Instead, Liese simply puts her panties to the side and grabs his cock again, rubbing the tip on her folds slowly. He groans at the feeling, grasping at her thighs, and she moans. Unable to endure more teasing, the woman slowly lowers herself onto his length, making both of them moan in pleasure.

She bends over him to capture his lips again, starting to rock her hips gently as she adjusts to his size. The man removes his dress shirt from her before trailing his lips down to her neck, collarbone and finally her full perky breasts.

Henry takes the right nipple in between his lips, swirling his tongue around it while his fingers do wonders on the other. She moans louder, rocking her hips against him harder this time. The man groans, throwing his head back and cursing before shooting her a warning glare.

“I’ll come right there if you do that again,” Henry says through gritted teeth, holding her hips so she doesn’t repeat the movement.

“I won’t,” The woman smirks down at him.

As soon as his hands leave her hips, Liese repeats the movement and his arm locks around her waist right away. She squeals as the man easily switches their position, getting on top of her. He pins her down with his body and her hands come to rest on his sides. The look on his eyes when he glances at her is ferocious.

“I told you not to,” He recalls.

“Yeah,” She replies, mischief all over her eyes. “What are you going to do about it?”

Henry’s lips latch on hers as he holds one of her legs against his side. The woman shrieks when he starts to pound into her hard and fast, focused on bringing her to the edge quickly. He feels her nails on him but without sinking into his skin like other women would usually do, desperately trying to mark him as their property. It simply grazes his sides and back while she moans uncontrollably under him.

Overwhelmed with a lot of sensations, Liese takes a deep breath as the man slows down his thrusts suddenly. The pace becomes extremely calm, taking its time on teasing her. Henry’s warm breath on her neck raises goosebumps all over her body before he starts nibbling on it. She grows frustrated by his slow pace quickly and reaches down to his ass, squeezing one of his buttocks. His chuckle makes his chest tremble against hers as he takes her hand, pinning it above her head.

“What’s the matter, dear?” The man asks, looking back at her eyes still slowly thrusting into her.

“Faster,” Liese pleads, looking up at him almost breathless.

He smirks. “Don’t you like this way?” He raises an eyebrow, readjusting his position to pound into her even slower. “I asked you a question.”

The look in her eyes is amusing. “ _Nein, verdammt,_ ” She replies, sounding as angry as she looks.

“Not as good when you’re not in control, right?” Henry says before kissing her.

Instead of picking up the pace again, he begins to pound hard into her which immediately makes her moan and knocks the air out of her lungs. Henry himself curses at the sensation of hitting the deepest spot in her, so he does it again and again and again. The woman’s eyes screws shut and she tries to release her hand as the free one tries to get his body even more close to hers which, by that point, is scientifically impossible. The man grabs said hand and pins it next to the other, still repeating the rough move.

He clearly underestimates the woman’s strength and skills as she . Henry doesn’t get suspicious when she clasps her thighs on his sides rather tightly but when she rolls her wrists against his grip, somehow getting a grasp on his wrists, and then pushing her body upwards against him. Suddenly, she’s back on top of him, hands on his shoulders to keep him down.

“Stay there,” She says and he smirks after recovering from the surprise.

A layer of sweat coats both of their bodies and Liese is about to self-combust if she doesn’t cool down soon. She reaches up to her hair, holding it away from her wet back as Henry grasps her thighs. The woman starts to ride him fast without holding onto anything for support and she doesn’t seem to be getting any tired what amazes him. 

The grasp on her thighs leaves handprints as Henry reaches up to the wine-colored panties still on her body. The lace doesn't show any resistance against his hands as he pulls it apart. The man discards the torn underwear on the floor carelessly and Liese looks at it, still riding him. His hands cover her boobs, squeezing it and she moans in response. The sounds intensify as he plays with the nipples again, rubbing and occasionally pinching it slightly. 

Small spasms start to run over the woman’s body and she could sense the orgasm building up. Now that she needs support to not collapse from the involuntary movements, she leans forward, resting her hands on his chest.

“ _Scheiße_ ,” She whispers out of breath as Henry starts to thrust his hips up to meet hers.

“Come on, baby girl,” Henry says, holding onto her hips. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

Liese practically squirms when she feels his thumb stroking her overly sensitive clit. It’s doesn’t take much for her to start shaking above him and the man sits up, embracing her slim frame. She rests her arms around his shoulders, holding him close as she rides him past her own orgasm to make him reach his.

“Henry,” The woman moans with her lips grazing his.

It takes just that for him to come. His grasp around her body becomes more tight, making it hard for her to breathe for a while. He grunts and tenses, moving her body against his a few more times after he comes inside of her. As he loosens up his limbs around her, Liese takes a deep breath and both of them collapse on the mattress, she laying on top of him.

“Push me to the side,” The woman says, unable to control her spasms. “I can’t move.”

“No,” Is the hoarse, breathless reply. “That’s just fine,” Henry runs his hand on her back and then pulls her up, slipping out of her.

She sighs at the sensation.

“We didn’t wear a condom,” He recalls and Liese looks at him, who’s staring up at the ceiling. “Sorry. It sorta slipped my mind.”

“It’s okay, I‘m on birth control,” She says.

“Oh,” The man sighs before shifting his eyes to meet hers.

She smirks, murmuring something in German before kissing his lips slowly.

Henry smiles as well, caressing her cheek after they parted lips. “Did you know you talk in your sleep?” He asks, amused and she makes a face.

“When I’m exhausted, yes,” The woman replies. “What did I say?”

“My German is not that good but something about a bear and a man?” He says with his deep voice. “Was that about me?”

He laughs at her mortified expression. Liese is not embarrassed by her dream because, honestly, she can’t even remember it. But the fact that he can understand what she says in a foreign language is alarming, considering what just came out of her mouth.

“You can understand German?” She asks, still surprised.

“A bit,” He confirms.

“Did you understand what I just said?” The woman’s eyes capture the glint in his.

“Yes,” His reply makes her hide her face in his chest that shakes with laughter.

“Oh God,” She groans. “That’s embarrassing.”

“It isn’t. I’m flattered,” Henry chuckles at her embarrassment, running a hand on her back.

“That doesn’t make me feel less embarrassed,” The woman’s voice comes out muffled as she continues to hide her face in his chest.

Before he could say anything else, something vibrating underneath Liese’s leg startles her. Reaching down, she retrieves his phone and gives it to him, who groans after looking at the screen.

“Are you in trouble?” Liese asks, looking up at him with her chin rested on his chest.

“Only if you say so,” He winks at her, opening a cheeky grin.

She rolls her eyes but smiles, leaving a kiss on his chest before standing up. “Come on,” She calls him, walking into his bathroom. “We could make good use of a shower.”

The woman already has the water running by the time Henry steps into the bathroom. She tied her hair up in a bun and looks like a queen under the stream.

“I was just thinking,” She starts, not looking him as she runs the loofah on her shoulder blades. “Can’t put on my dress because the zipper is broken, can’t put on my panties because it’s torn apart… So I’ll be going home wearing heels and a purse.”

Henry chuckles, stepping into the large shower stall with her. “I asked you twice if you were sure about ripping the dress.”

“Yes. Well, I was counting on having my panties,” She shrugs off, finally looking up to meet his eyes as he takes the loofah from her hand.

“So you could go home with only panties, heels, and a purse?” The man raises an eyebrow, standing right behind her, his chest touching her back.

“Exactly,” Liese smiles and he laughs, leaning down to peck her lips.

They don’t take long on the shower and Henry is the first to leave. The woman follows behind just minutes later, noticing the shirt he laid out for her. She could easily fit three of herself into the long sleeve shirt he picked and she laughs at the sight of the black boxer briefs underneath it. While the woman has quite a nice bottom, it can’t compare to Henry’s thick thighs and fine ass.

“I must admit,” She says, walking into the kitchen where the smell of food greets her. “I was sure your underwear would not fit me.”

“And I was sure it would,” He replies, glancing away from the frying pan to her. “Omelet with bacon?” He asks, pointing at the pan.

Liese sighs, resting her chin on the heel of her hands while looking at him from the kitchen island. “Do you have any flaw?” She smiles, nodding to his question.

The man smiles as well. “Many,” He says, grabbing a plate and carefully placing the food in it. “None that I’d like to share because I’m aiming to impress,” Henry winks at her, putting the plate in front of her.

“You’re succeeding,” She chuckles, staring at the food. “But if you’re not careful, I might fall in love,” The woman adds, looking back up at him.

“That would be a bonus,” Henry says, leaning in to peck her lips. “Coffee?” He asks, turning around.

“God, please!” The woman almost moans at the mention of the beverage.

He chuckles, pouring it on a mug for her. “Are you _that_ addicted?” He asks.

“Honey, I’m a doctor,” Liese starts, carefully cutting through the omelet. “The only other option to go through med school, internship and 13-hour shifts is cocaine and we can’t do that…” She explains, making him chuckle more.

“On that thought… What time you need to be at work?” He asks, returning to the stove to make his own breakfast.

“Eight,” The woman replies and he looks back at her in affliction after glancing at the clock. “I only have to be at the hospital Thursday,” She explains, shaking her head slightly. “This is really good, by the way.”

Henry looks back at her, smiling. “Go on a date with me,” He asks.

She chuckles. “I think we’re way past that,” She points out, sipping on her coffee.

“Well, when put it in that way, yes,” He nods, resting his forearms on the island and leaning on it. “But I really want to get to know you better and take you places.”

The softness in his voice and the look in his eyes makes Liese smile. “Okay,” She agrees to his request.

“Yeah?” The man asks, a smile forming in his lip and she nods. “Okay,” He repeats her answer and leans forward to peck her lips again, something he seems to can’t stop himself from doing.

“Tomorrow night,” She then says.

He raises his eyebrows. “Why not tonight?” He asks.

“You gotta miss me, baby,” Is her response with an amused expression.

“Alright,” He chuckles.

As Henry turns back to the stove, Kal walks around the corner, catching Liese’s eye right away. The dog looks at her, wagging his tail with something dangling from his mouth.

“What you have there, buddy?” Liese asks, looking at the dog.

The man’s head snaps at his pet’s direction immediately, worried he got something he’s not allowed to, like many times before.

“Is that my panties?” She frowns, still trying to figure it out. “Come here, Kal.”

“You gotta need more than that to take it out of him,” Henry says, walking towards him. “He’s too stubborn.”

“Sit,” The woman tells the dog and he obeys. Then she reaches down to his mouth. “Let go,” She commands again and Kal does as told like he was the most complying dog ever. “Good boy.”

And his owner watches it in awe, not believing in his eyes as Liese takes her panties away before petting Kal.

“Or you can do that,” He murmurs, still not believing in his eyes. “How did you do that?” He tilts his head in confusion, looking at her.

“I’m a witch,” Liese winks at him, scratching the dog’s neck.

The man shakes his head, smiling and finishing his breakfast. They chat about likes and dislikes on food so Henry could figure out where to take her for their first date. At one point, Kal tries to climb onto her lap on the stool and the woman gives in to his adorable face, moving down to the floor. The dog quickly nestles his large body in between her legs as Liese scratches all his favorite spots. Henry watches the scene with a smile as he finishes his breakfast.

“How do you know so much about him?” The man asks after she quietly listed Kal’s breed, age, weight, height, and even diet accurately.

Her light brown eyes look up at him, hands still scratching on the dog’s fur. “Witch, remember?” She smiles and he chuckles. “My brother is a vet, actually. Sometimes I help him out but I tend to stick with human medicine,” She explains.

“That’s nice. Does he have a clinic?” Henry asks as his pet licks the woman’s jaw.

“Yes. It’s the Orion Veterinary Clinic,” She replies, trying to escape the dog’s tongue.

“Hm,” The man nods. “I know that one.” He says.

He keeps his gaze on the woman as his dog tries to get her attention back. Liese makes a bun with the top half of her hair, leaving the rest loose before leaning down to kiss Kal’s head and then start to stand up from the ground.

“Your hair…” He starts and the woman chuckles, turning to look at him. “What?”

“It’s the third time you mention my hair in less than 24 hours,” Liese points out, leaning against the counter by his side. “Why are you so obsessed about it?” She asks as the man pushes his plate away and places her on the counter, sitting in front of him. “I mean, I know it’s gray but, still,” She chuckles.

Henry smiles, making invisible circles on her thighs with his thumbs. “I'm trying to land a role in which the character has white hair,” He explains.

“Interesting,” The woman says, narrowing her eyes but not adding more to it. “What did you want to ask about it?”

“Why did you dye it? I’ve never seen doctors with silver hair other than caused by age,” He asks and she chuckles.

“That’s true. Doctors are boring,” Liese makes a face. “Well, I’ve lost a bet to my little brother,” She explains. “He wanted me to be Daenerys Targaryen and I spent a whole day with a ridiculously white hair. The next day I went back to the saloon and got a silver hue to it.”

“A wig was not enough?” Henry suggests and she smiles.

“Oh, no. Our bets are too hardcore,” The woman says. “But I liked the way it came out and so I didn’t change back.”

“Bets? What have you done before?” He asks, intrigued by it.

Liese licks her lips, running her fingers on his jawline as he stares at her in concentration. “It started with silly things like going out with his friends or washing his car. But then he wanted me to get my nipples pierced,” She says and the man’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline. “Which he didn’t specify at first so I got my ear pierced instead,” The woman shows her helix piercing on her right ear. “But then I lost another bed and had to do that.”

“Really?” Henry muses, hands disappearing under his shirt that she’s wearing.

“Yeah, but I removed it two weeks later,” She adds as his hands move up to her breasts.

“Oh, I know. I had them into my mouth a little while ago, remember?” He teases as his fingers finally touch said nipples.

Her body reacts to his touch almost immediately but it’s a lie to say that she isn’t already wet just from his voice alone. “Oh shit,” Liese whispers, frowning at the sensation of his fingers.

“What were you betting on?” The man asks, eyes fixated on her face as her own stares at the ground, focused on the feeling the teasing is causing on her. “Lis?” He asks and her eyes focus back to his face. “I asked you a question,” He points out.

“Football,” Her answer comes out in a strangled way as he pinches her nipples. “It’s really hard to think straight when you’re doing that,” She points out, shaking her head slightly.

Henry smirks. “I know,” He says. “What would you get if you hadn’t lost?” She’s unresponsive again so he squeezes her boob.

The woman moans. “His car. Now I don’t want to talk about my brother, okay?” She says quickly.

Liese reaches down to his lips with her hands instantly tangling in his hair. The man smiles against her lips as she tugs on the roots of his dark locks, her legs circling his body and pulling him closer. His hands leave her breasts and move to her back, pressing her body against his chest as he stands from the stool.

When one of her small hands slides down his torso towards his semi hardon, a phone starts to ring, startling both of them. The woman recoils, breathing heavily, pupils blown out and lips swollen.

“It’s mine,” She says. “Sorry,” Liese adds as he helps her get down from the island.

She follows the ring to her purse sitting on the countertop. “Hello,” She answers the call, staring at the wall in front of her.

“ _Liese, your brother is a motherfucker!_ ” The woman in the other end says, making the woman raise both eyebrows in surprise. “ _A huge asshole!_ ”

“Who’s this?” Liese asks, turning around to face Henry who’s currently rinsing both of their plates.

“ _Lindsay!_ ” She shouts in the receiver like Liese was supposed to know it. “ _I swear to you, he’s gonna pay for what he did!_ ”

The woman is now frowning without understanding what’s happening. “Alright, calm down. What’s going on?” She asks.

Lindsay, Otto’s girlfriend which is her little brother, then proceeds to tell her what a motherfucker he is for breaking up with her over the phone like she’s some kind of whore he can just use and discard. Liese listens to everything with the most uninterested expression ever, rolling her eyes sometimes and making Henry chuckle.

She motions for him to come closer to her and he does so, resting his hands on her hips and leaning down to kiss her neck. The woman sighs, tilting her head to give him more access to it. She almost forgot about Lindsay as the man kisses her but at the prolonged pause, she realizes the story is over and it’s her time to say something.

“And what all of this has to do with me?” She asks as Henry chuckles, nibbling her free earlobe.

Liese nudges him slightly and he looks back at her with a grin on his face, matching hers. “ _Because you’re his sister!_ ” Lindsay replies. “ _He should have more respect for women when he has a sister._ ”

She sighs, holding on Henry’s arm. “Fair point,” She concedes. “I’ll talk to him but if you’re thinking he’ll be running back to you, I’m sorry to break it out to you but Otto is a grown-up man and he does whatever the hell he wants to,” She says to the woman.

“ _Ah, you bitch. You’re all the same,_ ” Lindsay before hanging up on her face.

The woman looks back at her phone with both eyebrows up. “The woman is crazy,” She says, putting the device down and resting her arms around Henry’s neck. “I’m sorry, I have to go kill my brother.”

“Bummer,” He pouts but smiles a second later, leaning down to kiss her lips again. “I’ll drop you off.”

“You don’t have to. I can take an Uber,” She shakes her head.

“Wearing just this?” Henry raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think so. Besides, I need to go to the gym, anyway.”

A smile spreads on her face. “If you want to know where I live, all you have to do is ask, Mr. Cavill,” She says, looking up at him.

“I want to know if you’re gonna ever give me your number,” He says and she chuckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, football is soccer in the rest of the world except in the USA and that’s the case here, okay?


	4. ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪɪɪ – ℋ𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝓅𝓈

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey people. I'm so sorry it took so long to update. I'm trying to get some work done and my last two brain cells can only think about Henry and Sebastian Stan so I had a bit of a block. Couldn't work because I'm thinking of them and couldn't write because I was trying to work lol But here it is.

“Your dad is home,” The woman says to her niece as their Uber stops in front of her house.

“Daddy!” The four-year-old girl squeals excitedly.

She releases her from the seatbelt and opens the car door, stepping out after thanking the driver. She gives Lia her own shopping bags before taking her own and following the energetic child. Liese opens the door instead of ringing the doorbell and her niece sprints into the house, quickly finding her dad.

“Hi, my princess,” Anton says, picking up the girl in his arms and kissing her cheek.

“I thought I was your princess,” Liese pouts, getting into the kitchen.

Her brother looks at her as she approaches and smiles. “You’re too,” He kisses her temple as the woman hugs his free side. “Thanks for taking Lia out.”

“No problem,” She says, looking at her niece. “We had a lot of fun, right?” Liese taps her little nose and she scrunches it.

“Yes! Auntie Lis is the best in the whole world!” She opens her arms widely.

“Don’t scream honey, your little brother is asleep,” Anton says and the girl covers her mouth.

“Sorry, daddy,” She says, sheepishly.

“Auntie Lis!” A little boy comes into the kitchen screaming on the top of his lungs.

“So much for silence, huh?” Liese chuckles, looking at her brother as she walks towards her nephew. “Hey there buddy, how’s going?” She asks, picking him up from the floor. “Can you talk a little bit quieter? I think your little brother is asleep.”

“Not anymore,” Allie, her sister-in-law, comes into the room, carrying a very awake baby.

“Did we wake him?” The woman asks with a face, putting Julian down.

“No, he woke up by himself,” She replies, handing him to Liese’s outstretched arms. “Almost an hour ago,” She adds, sighing tiredly. “Thanks for taking Lia out, by the way.”

“Mommy, look what auntie Lis got me!” Lia squeals, suddenly remembering her shopping bags.

“Lis, you didn’t have to,” Allie says as her daughter brings her the clothes.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Liese starts, going over her own shopping bags she placed on the kitchen island. “I have something for Julian, too,” She smiles, handing the three-year-old a bag.

“What do we say, buddy?” Her brother asks his son as soon as he takes the gift.

“ _Danke,_ ” Julian says with a smile, looking up at her.

“You’re welcome, buddy. Hope you like it,” She replies, smiling too. “And also something for Mr. Chubby right here,” She pokes Nik’s cheek before using her free hand to take the small piece of clothing from the beg. “Anton, isn’t this adorable?” The woman shows him the tiny Lederhosen she got for the three-month-old boy.

He chuckles, looking at her. “You’re the corniest auntie ever,” He says, turning off the stove. “Dinner’s ready. I want to see clean hands. And you’re staying, Lis,” Anton demands.

“Okay,” She says, putting Nik’s gift back into the bag and taking it to give to Allie. “Here.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” Her sister-in-law says, taking the bag and already reaching out to pick Nik. “Let me take him so you can eat.”

“No, it’s fine. I can multitask and you can eat peacefully for once,” Liese shakes her head.

“You’re an angel,” Allie’s face shows so much gratitude that the woman scoffs, shaking her head.

“Come on, kiddos. To the bathroom,” The woman says, following the children to get their hands washed properly.

Liese manages to wash her hands and peel off her jacket while still holding Nik in her arms. When she comes back to the table with the kids, Anton and Allie had already set the table. The kids sit in their chairs and Liese sits down with Nik on her lap, pushing her plate away from his reach.

Dinner goes by smoothly, the food is delicious. After it, the kids play for a little while in the living room, the woman tries to wear out the infant as much as possible so he can sleep and give his mother a break. The children argue a little when Allie declares bedtime but they end up going upstairs anyway, leaving the Hartmann adult siblings behind.

“ _She’s going to go nuts if you don’t help her out,_ ” Liese says in German after Allie disappears upstairs.

Her brother sighs. “ _What do you want me to do?_ ” Anton asks, looking at her.

“ _I don’t know. Take one of them to work once in a while. You’re the owner and you literally work with pets. Nothing that could harm them. And your employees could keep an eye on them while you’re attending,_ ” She suggests, sipping on the beer he poured for her. “ _Or hire a nanny to help. Or put Lia and Julian in daycare…_ ” She adds, shrugging off.

“ _She doesn’t want help from a stranger or to stay away from the kids,_ ” He argues.

“ _Well, talk to her then. Isn’t that how’s marriage supposed to work? Through conversation?_ ” The woman asks like it’s obvious.

“ _You wouldn’t know ‘cause you’re not married, right?_ ” Anton replies in a heartbeat.

It only takes a second for it to sink in as Liese stares at her brother. “Ight, Imma head out,” She switches back to English, standing up.

“Lis…” He starts, sighing.

“Nope, you absolutely right,” She says, picking up her shopping bags. “I’m way out of place to argue about that,” She adds, marching to the front door without looking back at him.

He should know better than bringing that up.

“Auntie Lis!” Lia’s voice travels downstairs at the same time the woman opens the front door. “Can you tuck me in?”

“Me too!” Julian adds, giggling.

Liese sighs, dropping her head while still holding the door open. “Of course, sweetheart,” She replies.

“You don’t have to,” Anton says.

The woman simply closes the door and turns around on her heels, walking towards the stairs without saying a word to her brother. She reaches the second floor and her feet bring her to the boy’s bedroom first, where Allie is with the baby.

“I’m really sorry, Lis. They’re restless when they want something,” She says, looking at her with a frown.

She shakes her head. “It’s okay,” She says, making her way towards Julian. “Ready, champ?” The woman asks, looking down at him.

“Yes!” He replies excitedly, running to the bed.

Liese takes a seat on the edge of his bed, tucking the comforter under his armpits and kissing his cheek. “Good night and sweet dreams,” She says, looking at him. “And be good to your mum, you gotta help her with your little brother, okay?”

“Okay, auntie Lis. _Ich liebe dich_ ,” Julian replies with a small smile.

She smiles as well. “ _Ich liebe dich mehr,_ ” She says, kissing his forehead. “Now close your eyes and sleep,” She demands, making the boy giggle as she stands up.

The woman turns off the light, leaving only a lampshade on and doesn’t close the door all the way. Then, she walks towards Lia’s room. The ‘Amalia’ in red stands out in the white door and Liese pushes it open to find her niece in bed.

“You already tuck yourself in,” She points out, approaching the girl under the covers looking at her.

“Can you read me a story?” Lia asks, giving Liese her puppy eyes as she sits on the bed.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, I can’t,” She says, pouting. “Auntie has to work early in the morning,” She explains.

“Okay,” The little girl sighs.

“I had a great time today. I hope you had as well,” The woman says, running her fingers on her chocolate hair.

“I did. Thanks, auntie Lis,” She smiles.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Liese smiles, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “Now go to sleep.”

She chuckles. “Okay.”

Lia closes her eyes and the woman smiles, standing up. As she walks out of her room, Allie is in the hallway, rocking Nik in her arms. The look in her face when she sees her sister-in-law is amusing.

“I don’t know how to repay you for what you do,” Allie says, looking at her with gratitude.

“Have a good night of sleep and make Anton get up in the middle of the night,” She says. “Also, shut down the baby factory for a few years, will ya?”

“Oh, I don’t plan on opening it again,” She replies, shaking her head.

“That’s what mum said before Gustav and Otto,” Liese chuckles.

“Oh God, no!” Allie shakes her head, terrified. “But, seriously, thank you so much!” She repeats once again.

“Don’t worry. I just can’t tuck this one in because I have to work early in the morning,” She pokes Nik’s chin, making the little boy smile. “So adorable,” She chuckles. “Well, I have to go. Good night, sis. Sleep tight,” The woman says, kissing her sister-in-law’s cheek.

“I’ll try,” She chuckles as Liese climbs down the stairs.

“I’ll drop you off,” Anton says at the bottom of the stairs, holding his car keys and her bags.

“Don’t bother,” The woman replies, taking the bags of his hands. “My Uber is already here.”

“Liese…” He follows her.

“Good night, Anton,” She kisses his cheek forcefully before walking out of the door.

Her brother sighs, holding the door open and watching her getting into the car parked in front of his house. After greeting the driver, Liese sighs, closing her eyes for a second. She definitely doesn’t like to argue with her brothers but they know which topics to not mention with her and Anton just poked the deepest wound.

Mr. Ferris is no longer at the front desk when she arrives at her apartment complex so she goes check her mailbox before taking the elevator. The woman is distracted reading one of the letters when she reaches her floor but only one glance at the hallway and she completely forgets about the papers.

At her door, a tall figure leans against it. “Henry?” Liese asks and he raises his head to look at her. “What are you doing here? And how do you know which one is my apartment?” She kisses his cheek before stepping back to unlock the door.

“The gentleman in the front desk told me,” Henry replies, walking into the studio apartment after her.

“Okay,” She smiles, shrugging off her jacket. “What are doing here, though? I mean, we were together this morning and…”

The man cuts her off by pinning her body against the wall and connecting their lips. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you all day,” He whispers against her lips before kissing her again.

Liese smiles against his lips and drops her bags on the floor, bringing her hands to his hair. Henry deepens the kiss and slides his hands to her ass, squeezing it and pulling her body up. The woman clasps her legs around his waist and moans into his mouth as he presses his hard-on against her pelvis.

The man pushes off from the wall, holding her tightly against his body as he walks blindly around her apartment. Henry plops down on the sofa with her in his lap and they break the kiss to remove her white top. Her hands grip onto his jacket-covered shoulders as Henry kisses her jaw before bringing his lips further down.

She tilts her head to give him more access to her neck and his hands slide to her waist, cupping her upper body as he spreads wet kisses and nibbles her neck. Henry quickly finds out that if he kisses a spot right below her ear, the woman moans a bit louder and squirm on his lap. So, he teases this exact spot until he can’t bear her hips grinding against his anymore.

By now, Henry’s erection is rock solid and he can almost feel it aching but it isn’t enough foreplay just yet. At the sight of how the push-up bra makes her boobs look bigger, his cock twitches into his pants and he buries his face on it. Liese sighs, bringing a hand to his hair as he runs his tongue in between her breasts.

The man wastes no time in unclasping her bra and sliding the straps down her shoulders so he could wrap his lips around her perfect pinky nipples. She squirms on his lap, throwing her head back and moaning at how good his tongue feels. She doesn’t care how loud she’s being and she can feel herself dripping wet, making her wonder if it’s already through her panties and soaking the jeans as well.

As Liese tugs on his jacket again, she realizes she’s severely undressed compared to him and she doesn’t like it. Better than the sensation of his tongue flickering her nipples is the sensation of Henry’s naked chest against hers as he thrusts into her. So, while his mouth shifts to the other boob, the woman pulls his jacket down his arms and he removes his hands from her to shrug it off all the way.

Her hands slip into his t-shirt and she caresses his abs before sliding it up to his chest. Henry brings his lips back to hers and she bites the corner of his mouth, making the man growl. He raises his arms and reaches back, pulling his t-shirt over his head and throwing it to his side. The woman cups his strong jaw, eyes locked on his as he grips her hips, grinding it against his hard-on.

He moans against her lips, eyes dark as she only pecks his lips. “My turn,” She murmurs against his lips, kissing the corner of his mouth and then his sharp jaw.

Henry sighs, letting her hold his jaw and tilt his head to the side. But he isn’t prepared at all to feel her teeth nibbling on his earlobe, dragging a hiss out of him and his fingertips dig into the flesh of her ass. Liese kisses his neck and his cock twitches again. Suddenly, the man inhales sharply and looks down at his lap.

The woman’s delicate fingers are wrapped around his hard shaft over the underwear. He didn’t even realize Liese had unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned and unzipped his pants until that moment. She gives it a little squeeze while sliding her tongue up his neck and Henry almost loses it.

“No,” He says, grabbing her wrist.

She immediately let go of him and he throws her hand over his shoulder, quickly wrapping one of his arms around her waist and a hand gripping on her ass. Her legs lock around his waist once again as Henry stands up from the sofa and walks around the shelving that divides the bedroom from the living room space.

He puts her down on her bed and stands back to remove her shoes before going down on her body. The woman throws her head back, feeling his warm breath bellow her navel but then she looks back down at him. Henry quickly unzips her jeans, tugging it down her model-like legs. His lips come in contact with her skin again and Liese shudders in anticipation, goosebumps spreading all over her body.

The man leaves a wet kiss in her inner thigh, very close to her pussy, and raises his head, biting lightly at her protruding hip bone on her left side before fiddling slightly with the hem of her panties. “Don’t rip those, please,” She asks.

Henry glances up at her with an amused expression. “Yes, ma’am,” He jokes, hooking his fingers on her panties and sliding it down her legs.

The man then spreads her legs apart all the way and tugs her down slightly by her rip, his hungry mouth instantly devouring her clit. Liese nearly screams and tries to bring her thighs together, overwhelmed by his tongue flickering rapidly in her most sensitive spot and entrance. But his strong grip doesn’t allow her to do it.

“Henry!” She moans louder, getting a fistful of his hair and arching her back.

He groans and continues until the woman comes, hands now tight on the sheets, pulling on it as her body trembles. While she enjoys the orgasm, unable to focus on anything in particular at the moment, Henry gives a small bite in her inner thigh before pushing off the bed and removing the remaining on his clothes. As he crawls the mattress to hover the woman, she finally opens her lovely light brown eyes to meet his, a look of pure bliss on her face.

“You’re so gorgeous,” Henry says, dipping his head to reach her lips.

The sweet peck turns into a breathtaking kiss when Liese moans as the man slides into her. Henry can barely control himself at the feeling of her walls squeezing around him. He then realizes her orgasm was still going when he started to pound into her. Breathing heavily, the man slows down his pace and looks at Liese’s face worriedly. With one hand gripping his arm and the other resting on his side, the woman has her eyes screwed shut, her moans much louder than she ever been before.

“Are you okay? Do you need a moment?” He asks, stopping his movements.

“No,” Liese whimpers, letting go of his arm. “I’m fine, don’t stop,” She says in a whisper.

“You sure?” The man frowns, trying to have a glimpse of her eyes.

As if she could read his mind, she opens her eyes to look into his and nods, smiling slightly and then biting her bottom lip. “Never been better,” She reassures, bringing her hand to caress his cheek. “Come on, take us to the oblivion,” A smirk comes across her face as she looks up from his lips back to his eyes.

Henry smiles as well and the woman pulls his face down, kissing him once again. His lips feel so right against hers. The woman can’t hold back her moans as he restarts to rock his hips against hers and he just drags his kisses down to her cheek, jaw, and then neck, working on that sweet spot he found not so long ago.

In a matter of ten minutes, he has Liese writhing underneath him. “Oh, Henry,” Liese moans as the second orgasm hits her. “Come on, love,” She wraps around his waist and keep it there with a lot of effort.

The new angle makes Henry’s thrusts reach deeper and if she’s already experiencing another orgasm, it only intensifies it. The man feels the difference right away too and he grips her right thigh, burying himself even deeper into her. He’s only able to keep it together for more five minutes before his moves become sloppier.

“Lis,” He calls and she looks straight at him. “Fuck, Lis,” He groans, tightening his jaw.

She controls her crazy moans and ignores every atom on her shaking body. “Hi, handsome,” She smiles tenderly at him.

Henry leans his forehead against hers and when Liese cups his face, he comes. She kisses him sweetly while he thrusts a couple more times before letting his tired and sweaty body crash down on hers. He nestles his face on the crook of her neck, breathing hard, and the woman runs a soothing hand on his back until his weight starts to really crush her.

“Hon, I’d love to stay like this but you’re suffocating me,” She chuckles and he immediately lifts his body from hers.

The man sits by her side, looking down at her. “Sorry,” He smiles sheepishly. “Hi,” The man smirks, touching her cheek and then leaning down to kiss her. “I can’t stop myself from doing this,” He says, stroking her cheek.

“Please, don’t,” She smiles up at him too, bringing his lips to hers again.

Henry slides down at the bed and lies on his back, propping his head on one of his hands comfortably as the woman rests her head on his chest, looking up at him.

“Tell me,” He starts, looking at her eyes. “How was your day?” He strokes her cheek again and moving her hair away from her neck.

Liese looks up in a thoughtful manner. “Uhm... Let’s see. So, I woke up at this very hot guy’s bed,” She starts, looking back at him with a suggestive smile.

The man smile as well, raising his eyebrows. “Is that so?” He asks.

“Oh, yes. We had an amazing night but he didn’t disappoint in the morning. Love me some morning sex,” She wiggles her eyebrows jokingly that makes him chuckle. “Then, he made me breakfast, can you believe it?”

“It seems like a really nice guy,” Henry plays along with her.

“Right? He’s a real gentleman and has the _most_ adorable dog!” The woman emphasizes the word. “Unfortunately, I received a call from my little brother’s very unhappy girlfriend about a problem that isn’t mine, _at all_ , when I was having a lovely make-out session with this guy,” She says but then pauses. “Well, actually ex-girlfriend as of now. Anyway, I had to leave.”

“Oh, no. And the guy?” He smirks as she tells him.

“As the gentleman he is, he dropped me off here,” Liese replies. “I worked for a bit in the morning, went to my brother’s workshop, gave him a hard time for over an hour, tried to teach on how to be a man – like the hot guy I was with,” She mentions and Henry’s smile grows bigger. “And then I made him buy me lunch. After beating him, because he’s a jerk, I left and worked more in the afternoon. At five, I picked up my four-year-old niece from my other brother before my sister-in-law had a stroke and we had a date.”

“What did you do?” The man asks, paying attention to everything as he plays with her hair.

“The usual! Watched a film, gossiped over a snack, went shopping and then I dropped her off two hours ago, just in time for dinner which was delicious. Then, I came home to a very wonderful surprise,” The woman finishes her tale, looking at him expectantly.

“Does this hot guy knows about us?” Henry asks, raising his eyebrows.

“It turns out you are the hot guy. Funny, right?!” She makes a face.

“What?!” He squeals which sounds very funny and they share a laugh. Liese rests her cheek on his chest, looking at the wall and enjoying the feeling of his fingers fiddling with her locks. “Was Guinness somehow included in this dinner?” He asks casually.

“Yeah, it was,” She says, frowning at him. “How did you know?”

“I can taste it in your mouth,” Henry replies.

“Oh my God,” The woman laughs, surprised by his answer. “Do you want some?” She asks, already standing up.

Somehow, he is even more surprised by her offer. “You have it in your fridge just like that?” He asks as she stops in front of the fridge.

“Of course I have beer just like that,” Liese replies, taking a bottle of Guinness out of the fridge. “I’m German, baby. It would be an outrage if I didn’t have it,” She chuckles, pouring the brown liquid into a beer mug. “At least, that’s what people think about Germans…”

It’s worth to mention that she’s still naked as she brings the mug back to the bed where Henry is already salivating just thinking about the taste of his favorite beer. The man is very glad to know that it’s very chilly, just the way he likes it. When the smell hits his nose, he can’t help but immediately take a gulp of it.

“Mmm,” He hums in pleasure, licking the silky foam from his lips. “I shouldn’t be drinking this,” He adds, looking at her.

“Oh honey, you were tasting it in my mouth. Give yourself a break,” Liese scoffs, looking at him take another gulp of it.

“My trainer will murder me,” The man says as she takes the mug from him and sips from it before giving it back. “I already had a cheat day yesterday with the burger you made me eat.”

“Oh,” She raises an eyebrow, walking around the shelving towards the front door. “So, I’m the bad girl making you sin your way into hell, huh?” The woman chuckles while she locks the door.

“Something like that,” Henry nods.

“Well, at least the bad girls are the best,” She says, coming back with her arms full of clothes and her shopping bags. “Am I right?” She looks back at him.

“Absolutely,” He replies with a smirk.

“Good,” Liese smiles.

She puts his clothes on a chair by the corner of the shelving and gets into the bathroom to discard her own clothes into the laundry hamper. Before returning to the room, Liese drops her bags into her small closet and hangs the jacket after taking her phone out of its pocket. She walks back into the room looking at her phone.

> _Allie yelled at me for not taking you home_   
>  _I’m sleeping in the guest bedroom tonight_

The text from Anton sent twenty-five minutes ago says and she sighs, smile long gone from her features. “Where did you mind go?” The male voice pulls her back and she looks up at him, sitting with his back rested against the iron frame headboard.

“I had a…” She trails off, searching for the appropriate word while walking towards him. “Disagreement with my brother before leaving,” She explains, putting her phone on the nightstand and taking the now empty beer mug from his hands.

“Thanks,” Henry says, licking his lips and watching her walk away once again. “What happened?” He asks as she places the mug into the sink. The woman sighs again. “If you don’t wanna talk about it, it’s fine.”

“He said something about a forbidden subject everybody knows better than bring it up,” She explains very vaguely.

“Everybody?” The man frowns.

“My brothers,” Liese clarifies, picking his t-shirt from the chair. “Do you mind if I wear this?” She asks.

“Not at all,” He shakes his head. “It’ll probably look better on you, anyway,” He says as she starts to dress it.

She smiles when Henry’s perfume fills her nostrils after pulling the large t-shirt to her thighs. “I like the way it smells,” She says, walking to the bed with a smile.

Henry couldn’t describe exactly how he feels at that moment, with her smiling at him and wearing his clothes. So, he just smiles back at her, adoring the way the fabric swallowed her form but didn’t make her curves disappear.

“It’ll smell better once I get it back,” He says as she crawls next to him in her bed.

She looks into his eyes, her face very close to his. “Who says you’ll get it back?” The woman asks against his lips.

He raises his eyebrows. “Is this payback for the red panties?” He asks, trying to reach her lips but she pulls back, smiling.

“You’re goddamn right,” Liese replies, looking down at his lips. “An eye for an eye…” She whispers, keeping the smile and brushing her lips against his but pulling back again as he tries one more time.

“This is how it’s gonna work?” The man continues to play along.

“Uh-huh,” She hums. “And there’s also the dress,” She remembers, making him chuckle.

Henry shakes his head before holding her by the back of the neck and finally pulling her lips to his.

“Stay the night,” The woman whispers, looking into his eyes when they break the kiss.

“Well, you already locked me in, so…” He points out with a grin.

Liese rolls her eyes and leans in for another kiss but, as Henry parts his lips, she takes his bottom lip against her teeth and bites it while looking into his eyes. Taken aback by this, the man groans, crashing his lips against and kissing her hungrily again. It ends up there, though. Instead of having steamy hot sex the whole night, the couple cuddles and falls asleep watching Sherlock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter was intended to be much bigger but I’ve decided to split the chapter so you guys could have something rather sooner than later. Did you like the new character introduced and a mystery to pique your curiosity?


	5. ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪᴠ – 𝒲𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓁𝑒𝓈

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The overdue chapter is here. I want to apologize again for delaying it so much. I have this chapter planned in my head since I first started writing this fic but I couldn’t bring myself to write it for some reason. This is basically a get to know character, hope y’all like it.

Henry takes a deep breath as he slowly wakes up and her scent fills his nostrils. He rolls to his back and, with his eyes still closed, he instinctively reaches out for the warmth of her body but the other side o the bed is empty, cold even, making his eyes snap open right away. Liese isn’t snuggled up in a very small space in the mattress like he wanted to, he’s alone.

Sunlight pours into the apartment heavily, the thin white drapes doing nothing to block it. As his eyes scan the vast open space, Henry is disappointed to not find her hourglass-shaped body anywhere.

He sits up. “Liese?” The man calls, his voice filling the space and bouncing back to him.

No response.

Sighing, Henry clenches his jaw and pushes the covers away from his lap before standing up. At the chair by the corner of the shelving, his clothes are neatly folded, the black boxer briefs on top of the pile. He then notices the blue slip of paper above it.

Without a second thought, he picks it up.

> _Hi, handsome._
> 
> _Good morning! Sorry I’m not there. I have to go to work and I couldn’t bring myself to wake you up. You looked so heavenly sleeping. I’ve made you breakfast, hope you like it. It’s in the microwave and there’s coffee on the pot. You can leave my keys with Mr. Ferris at the front desk, he’s trustworthy ;) Can’t wait for our date tonight!_
> 
> _P.S.: I really hope you understand my handwriting because doctors really suck at it and I tried really hard. If not, you’ll find a text in your phone saying the exact same thing :p_
> 
> _Liebe, Liese xo_

Henry smiles, still staring at the piece of paper. Her handwriting is really difficult in some parts, especially when e’s looks like i’s and o’s like a’s. But he did understand it and now he couldn’t stop smirking like an idiot.

* * *

Liese rests her chin on the heel of her hand, looking at her friend. “This is a power couple right here, I’m telling you,” Sierra states, holding her phone out to the others.

They have been discussing the success of this year’s benefit gala for the last ten minutes and now the subject is the silver-haired woman. The official photos of the event are circulating the internet and this is totally normal, considering the celebrities that have attended it. But her friends are way more interested in her photo with a certain actor.

“This is like the Queen B and Jay-Z of white people,” Her friend continues, making people laugh.

“That’s Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie,” Kelsie points out.

“They aren’t married anymore,” Sierra makes a face, shaking her head.

“We also have different lines of work,” Liese says. “Beyoncé and Jay-Z are musicians while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are actors.”

“Girl, I don’t care about that,” Her fellow doctor looks at her like she’s demented. “The point is that beautiful babies would come out of you with this much good genes.”

The woman laughs, shaking her head and standing up. “Great time to start doing our rounds, huh?” She says, walking away.

“We’re continuing this later,” Sierra says, walking beside her.

She shakes her head. “Nope, we’re not.”

They focus on their patients and each visit takes its own time as they pay very close attention and listen to everything they have to say, also making conversation other than the routine questions. Liese gets a text from Henry in-between visits and she replies to him quickly with a smile on her face while walking towards the next room.

Right away, the woman notices something’s off with the little girl they’re visiting. She doesn’t make eye contact with both doctors; her replies are single-worded and her mother does almost all the talking. While she desperately wants to engage in a conversation with her and find out exactly what’s bothering the girl, Liese needs to see other patients as well. So, she returns to her room after she finishes the rounds with Sierra.

A soft knock on the doorway has the two occupants looking at her. “Hey, I’m back,” She smiles softly. “So, I’ve noticed someone is a little upset today,” Liese starts. “And I was thinking: ‘What would I do if I was feeling down?’” She taps her index finger on her jaw, looking up as if in thought. “Then, I remember. Chocolate, obviously!” The woman shakes her head. “So, I went to the vending machine and got this for you,” She slowly reveals the candy bar, finally walking into the room. The little girl beams at her immediately. “But you shouldn’t eat all at once,” The doctor suggests, sitting on the bed and offering her the bar.

“What do we say, honey?” Her mother asks, sitting in the armchair next to the bed.

“Thanks, Dr. H,” Carol says quietly.

Liese smiles fondly at her. “You’re welcome, love,” She says.

Most of the kids call her “Dr. H” because it’s harder for younger ones to say “Hartmann”.

“Dr. H, can I ask you something?” Carol looks up at the doctor, completely ignoring the candy.

She tilts her head slightly. “Sure.”

“Can I braid your hair?” The little girl asks out of the blue.

“My hair?” Liese frowns, taken aback by the sudden request.

“Yes,” She nods. “Your hair is very pretty,” She praises and the frown on the doctor’s face just deepens.

“Well, thanks. But where have you seen it?” She asks.

Liese’s go-to hairstyle for work is a simple bun. It’s practical because it keeps her hair out of her face when she needs to run around the ED and it’s sanitary because, well, she works in hospitals. It’s also very appropriate in a working environment. So, she is utterly confused by the girl’s statement.

“On your Instagram,” Carol replies like it’s obvious.

She immediately panics inside, wondering how many of her patients check her social media.

“Oh,” Her eyebrows shoot to her hairline before she frowns slightly again for a second before snapping out of it. “Okay, sure. But I only have one hair tie,” She points out.

“It’s fine, turn around,” The little girl says excitedly, sitting her chocolate bar to the side.

Liese glances at her mother who shrugs off with a smile before she turns around. She pulls her hair out of the bun and down her shoulders, combing it slightly with her fingers and smoothing down the roots. Carol’s eyes shine in excitement as the silver locks pour down Liese’s back. Then, the doctor rests her hands on her lap, waiting for Carol to start braiding and she does so after shyly asking permission to actually touch her hair.

“It’s so smooth,” Carol beams, running her little finger through her hair. “And shiny!”

“Do you know why I dyed it?” She asks, trying to access how much stalking the girl did on her Instagram.

“Because you lost a bet with Otto,” She replies, starting to braid the right side of her hair.

Liese chuckles, amused by her calling her brother by the name but also concerned. “Yes, you’re right.”

“Who’s Otto?” Her mother asks, frowning.

“He’s Dr. H’s little brother,” Carol explains.

The expression on her mother’s face is of pure chock as Liese nods slightly. “Guess I need to be very careful of what I post, huh?” She muses, trying to make less of the awkward situation.

“And I should start monitoring what this young lady is doing online,” The woman replies, giving a pointed look at her daughter.

“Mom!” Carol whines and the doctor chuckles.

The little girl works quickly, tugging and twisting Liese’s hair skillfully. She braids each side, joining both of it on the back of the doctor’s head with an imperceptible knot. Carol easily convinces Liese to let her take photos of the braid with her phone so she could see it.

“Oh my God,” The doctor says, truly surprised by the professional-looking braid. “This is so gorgeous, thank you so much, Carol,” She looks at the girl.

She smiles, resting her head on her hands. “I wish I had hair like yours,” Carol confesses dreary.

The look on the woman’s face softens. “Is that why you’re upset, sweetheart?” She asks, turning her whole body towards her and giving her full undivided attention. The little girl shrugs, eyes falling to her lap. “Honey, you don’t have to worry. Your hair will grow back and I bet it’s gonna look prettier than mine,” Liese tries to reassure her.

Leukemia is a real bitch. Like any other type of cancer, it makes you suffer throughout the very brutal treatment. When kids experience it, in Liese’s opinion, it’s even worse. It’s hard to explain to them what’s happening and why they can’t be around so many people like before because their immune system is too compromised.

She shrugs off nonchalantly. “I guess,” She murmurs, her eyes still focused on her fidgeting hands.

“You know what you can do while it doesn’t grow back?” The doctor starts, trying to pique her interest.

“What?” Carol asks, still avoiding eye contact.

“You can wear wigs!” Liese says. “Mel from down the hall says it’s very cool to have a different hairstyle or hair color every day,” She adds. “You should talk to her,” Liese suggests.

Finally, Carol snaps her head up and looks at her mother. “Can we do that?” She asks, excited again.

“Sure,” Her mother nods with a smile.

The little girl looks back at Liese with a huge grin on her face in which the woman corresponds. “ _Dr. Hartmann to the nurse’s station,_ ” The female voice says on speaker.

“Well, that’s me,” The doctor says, standing up from the bed with her phone in hands. “Thanks for the brai – Oof,” She puffs when Carol throws herself into Liese’s arms, hugging her neck tightly.

“I love you, Dr. H,” The little girl says and it surprises Liese.

She then smiles, hugging her small body. “I love you too, Carol,” She replies. “I’ll check on you later today, okay?”

“Okay,” She nods, sitting back on the bed.

“Thank you so much, Dr. Hartmann,” Carol’s mother says when she reaches the door.

“Sure,” She smiles before finally leaving the room.

While Liese was comforting the little girl, Henry walks into the medical facility. Right after he passes through the front door, he realizes that coming there might not be a good idea after all. He has no clue as to where he can find her and she’s working; he shouldn’t be bothering her at work.

“Sir, can I help you?” A young woman at the front desk asks, breaking his thoughts.

“Ah, yes, ma’am,” He smiles politely, approaching her. “Do you know where I can find Dr. Liese Hartmann?”

She makes a face. “I don’t, actually,” Then she chuckles. “But if you go to the nurse’s station on the first floor, they can page her,” She says. “Elevators are through there,” She instructs.

“Thank you,” Henry offers a smile.

“Big fan, by the way,” She adds quickly as he starts to move away.

The man’s smile grows wider. “Thank you,” He repeats, finally walking away.

He follows the young woman’s instructions and gets in the elevator to the first floor. The building only has two floors above the ground level but it looks exactly like a hospital. Nurses and doctors are walking around in scrubs, patients and relatives.

Patients. That’s when Henry is sure it wasn’t a good idea to come there. The patients in that facility are kids from two to sixteen-years-old and he’s fucking Superman. Right now he’s just praying they won’t recognize him because it’s gonna be hell to leave if they do.

“Good morning, ma’am,” Henry says when he approaches the nurse’s station. “I’m looking for Dr. Liese Hartmann. The lady at the reception said you could page her from here.”

The woman double looked at him and her jaw dropped while he was talking. They were talking about him just a few hours ago.

“Uh, sure. Yes, I can do that,” She recovers quickly when he stops talking. “One second.”

“Thank you,” He offers her his breathtaking smile and, boy, she could have fainted.

Smiling at him, the usual effect Henry’s charm has on women, she picks up the phone. “Dr. Hartmann to the nurse’s station,” She says over the phone and her voice is amplified by the speakers. “Give her a couple of minutes.”

“Alright. Thank you so much,” Henry replies, smiling at her again.

It’s doesn’t take a couple of minutes, though. The man pulls his phone from his pocket to check a message and a flicker of silver catches the corner of his eye. He looks up to see the gorgeous doctor coming out of a patient room wearing blue scrubs and a lab coat above it. She looks absolutely stunning with her hair down her shoulders in beachy waves and the waterfall braid.

Liese’s eyes go straight to him and she hesitates for a split second, surprised by seeing him there. Then she smiles, walking towards him.

“Mr. Cavill, hello,” She greets him professionally.

He gets the hint and plays along right away. “Dr. Hartmann,” Henry nods, shaking her hand. “Pleased to meet you again,” He adds and she offers him a mischievous smirk that only he understands in that way.

“Likewise,” The doctor replies. “I’m very glad you took up on my offer to meet the facilities. Should we talk about the details in my office?” She offers suggestively.

Henry nods. “Lead the way.”

With a smile, Liese motions to the elevators he just came from and they walk towards there ignoring everybody gawking at Henry, especially Sierra who was practically arranging their wedding earlier. The elevator ride to the ground level is silent because they aren’t alone but both of them are trying to hold back the laugh.

The walk to her office has fewer eyes on them but it’s only when Henry sees her name on a door that he smirks. She opens the door for him still in a professional way and he walks in. Liese quickly follows, closing the door and having him on her as soon as it clicks closed.

She giggles with his lips on hers. “Hey,” The woman says, before pulling him down at the neck and kissing him deeper.

“Hi,” He breathes out, a silly grin in his face and forehead resting against hers. “You are gorgeous, by the way,” He praises.

She rolls her eyes, moving away. “I’m literally wearing scrubs,” Liese deadpans.

“It doesn’t matter,” The man smiles, looking at her walk around. “So, I’ve come to drop this off,” He says.

Her keys dangle from his hand and the doctor smiles, leaning against her desk. “You could have left it with Mr. Ferris,” She says as he approaches her.

Henry puts his hands on each side of the table, trapping her against it and his body. “I could,” He leans down and kisses her neck softly. “But then I wouldn’t have an excuse to come see you,” Henry adds, kissing the other side of her neck.

She giggles, taking his face with both hands and kissing his lips. “Did you sleep well?” Liese asks, looking into his eyes. “I swear, you looked so at peace when I left that I couldn’t bring myself to disturb you,” She says.

“I did, actually,” He replies, taking a seat at one of the comfortable chairs in front of her table. “Your mattress is wonderful. It’s like sleeping in a cloud,” He says and the woman chuckles. “Matter of fact, it’s the first time in a very long time that I sleep past nine.”

“Why? Kal doesn’t let you stay longer?” Liese asks with a content smile on her lips.

“Well, that and I just can’t stay in bed at all,” The man nods.

“I can think of ways to make you stay,” She starts and Henry’s eyes darken immediately, looking up at her.

“Hmm, I like where your mind is going,” He says, leaning towards her and reaching his hand to caress her thighs. “You have a nice office,” The man adds but he hadn’t even taken a look around her office. “Tell me, have you ever had some fun in here?”

The doctor smirks, pushing his shoulder back and straddling his lap.

Henry’s hands immediately find her waist. “Not today, Mr. Cavill,” She whispers against his lips. “Perhaps when you come back for your visit to see the facility,” Liese teases with a hand caressing his chest. “Right now, I’m afraid I’m kicking you out.”

He was about to kiss her lips when Liese suddenly stands up, making Henry pout. “Seriously?” He asks, looking up at her incredulously.

“Mmhm,” The doctor hums with a nod. “One of my friends was already naming our children earlier. I don’t want to give them the tea,” She confesses. “But I’m looking forward to our date tonight,” Liese smiles at him.

“I’m looking forward to it, too,” He replies, standing up and bringing her body closer to his with one hand. “Our children, huh?” He says as they part their lips.

Liese chuckles. “Yeah. Apparently, our ‘good genes’ would result in beautiful babies,” She makes air quotes.

“Well, I concur,” Henry nods, making the woman chuckle again.

“Let’s take baby steps, okay?” She says. “The date first.”

“Sure. Pick you up at seven?” He suggests.

Liese nods. “Sounds great,” Then she stands on her tiptoes to kiss his lips while resting both hands on his chest. “Now, allow me to walk you out, Mr. Cavill.”

“Please, lead the way, Dr. Hartmann,” He plays along again, making her laugh in amusement.

She straightens her clothes a little before opening the door and walking out with Henry following. At the door, they shake hands again. “Thank you for coming by, Mr. Cavill. I really appreciate your _interest_ ,” The doctor says and Henry almost laughs at the real meaning of those words.

“Of course, ma’am. I’ll have my manager to call you with a date,” He replies.

“Great. Have a nice day,” Liese smiles.

“You too, ma’am,” The man smiles before walking away.

The woman watches as he walks towards his car and turns her back when he gets into it. Amelie, the young woman at the front desk, has a smirk on her face when Liese looks at her.

“He looks so much more handsome in person, right?” She says, smiling like a real fangirl.

“I’d say so, yes,” The doctor agrees, chuckling at her.

“And he smells so good too!” Amelie adds excitedly.

Now Liese laughs. “Yeah, okay Amelie. If anyone asks for me, I’m in my office,” She says, already walking back there.

She sighs when she closes the door and a silly smile plays in her lips. The keychain sitting in her desk makes her feel like a teenager as she recalls everything that just happened in her office.

But she doesn’t allow herself to keep doing that as she has a lot of work to get done. So, the woman pushes off the door and walks around the desk, sitting behind it. Liese puts her keys into her purse before focusing on the paperwork that needed attention.

That’s when there’s a knock on the door and then Sierra slips right into the room without even waiting for an answer.

“Nooo,” Liese whines, sitting back on her chair and pitching the bridge of her nose.

“Soulmates, you guys are soulmates, I’m telling you!” Her friend starts, taking a seat at the chair Henry was in minutes ago. “You guys look so good together. Brangelina ain’t shit compared to you guys.”

“Sie, I really need to read these,” She points at the documents.

Her friend nods. “I’ll be quick. He’s just so handsome…”

Liese rolls her eyes and sits back on her chair. For the next forty minutes – yeah, that long –, Sierra explains how they’re perfected for each other, even googling Henry to point out things they have in common. Lunchtime is no different, except this time her friend has allies to convince Liese as to why she should ask the actor out on a date.

In the afternoon, the woman has the desired peace she wanted to go through the paperwork carefully. She gets a lot of things done until the time to leave arrives but she actually goes back to Carol’s room. They talk for a while and Liese asks the little girl to teach her how to do the waterfall braid by herself.

Before she could be late for her date, she gets an Uber home. “Good evening, Mr. Ferris. Got anything for me today?” She smiles kindly at the elder man, leaning on the front desk.

“Dr. Hartmann, hello,” He smiles at her. “Just a couple today,” Mr. Ferris says, turning around to the mailboxes. “A very polite gentleman came looking for you last night and I told him your apartment number because he didn’t seem like a bad person to me,” He says calmly as he turns back around towards Liese with her mail. “I hope it’s alright for you. If not, I’m terribly sorry, I-”

The woman interrupts him, shaking her head and resting a hand above his. “It’s quite alright, Mr. Ferris. Really,” She reassures him. “Also, I’m sure you saw him leaving this morning,” She winks at him.

“Well, I’m not one to pry on anyone’s business,” He shrugs off, making her laugh.

“You’re the best, Mr. Ferris,” Liese leans forward to kiss his cheek. “Thank you so much,” She says before moving away.

The elder man chuckles at her. “He seems to be very nice, Dr. Hartmann,” Mr. Ferris adds.

“He is, Mr. Ferris,” She looks back at him. “And you can call me Liese,” The woman smiles.

“Sure. When you start calling me Carl,” He says nonchalantly, smiling at her later.

Liese waves at him before getting into the elevator. She doesn’t bother to check the mail; she simply discards it on the console table by the front door. The doctor goes straight to the bathroom, taking a relaxing shower. Then she applies a face mask and realizes she doesn’t know what to wear.

The woman panics as she stares at her closet. “ _Hey, gorgeous,_ ” Henry says as he picks up the call and Liese can sense a smile on his face, making her smile as well.

“Hi, handsome,” She giggles, amused by the exchange. “Where are you taking me? I don’t know what to wear,” She confesses. “And don’t worry about ruining surprises, I don’t know many restaurants and I won’t Google it.”

Henry chuckles at her bluntness and she feels a chill running down her spine just by the sound of it. “ _It’s a place called Clos Maggiore,_ ” He replies.

“Sounds fancy. Okay, I know exactly what to wear. You’ll love it,” She says, picking a hanger and looking at the dress.

“ _I’m pretty sure I’d love anything you decided on,_ ” The man replies.

Liese snorts. “I wouldn’t be that sure,” She says. “Anyway, I have to get ready.”

“ _There’s still an hour and a half until I have to pick you up,_ ” He points out.

“Yeah, well. Some of us weren’t born that handsome,” The woman replies. “Plus, I’ll make sure you will need to pick your jaw from the floor when you see me,” She teases.

He chuckles again. “ _Okay, I’ll let you go then. See you soon._ ”

“Bye,” Liese blows him a kiss before hanging up.

The woman leaves the dress on her bed and picks a pair of high heel sandals. She also decides on jewelry and then washes the face mask off. Liese decides on a simple makeup and, by the time she’s styling her hair, her phone starts to ring. Propping it against the vanity mirror, she answers the FaceTime call.

“Hey Gustav,” She says.

“ _Lis, it’s poker night. You coming?_ ” Her brother asks without even looking at her. “ _Oh wow, you’re all dolled up,_ ” He says, finally looking at her.

She frowns. “It’s Wednesday,” She points out. “And, no, I won’t come. I have a date.”

Gustav laughs right away. “ _No, you don’t. I don’t believe that for a second,_ ” He says and she rolls her eyes. “ _What are you really up to?_ ” He asks.

“A date,” The woman insists. “I don’t have time to talk right now. I will call you later if feel like it,” She says, pulling her curling iron down.

“ _No, don’t hang up. Come to poker nig-_ ” Her brother tries but she hangs up on his face anyway.

She ignores Gustav calling again and puts on the dress, smoothing it on her body while analyzing her reflection on the mirror. Heels, accessories and some perfume later, the woman gathers a few things in a small clutch. When she picks up a trench coat from her closet, Henry sends her a text, letting her know that he’s waiting for her in the lobby.

> _On my way down._

She replies before shoving her phone into the clutch. Liese dresses the coat and turns off the lights, waking out of her studio apartment. The elevator ride is very quick and, soon enough, she spots Henry’s large form when the doors open. He has his back towards her and turns around when he hears the sound of heels against the floors.

True to her words, Henry has to pick his jaw from the floor when he sees her. The burgundy velvet dress hugs her form perfectly, the deep V neck showing the curve of her breasts. She styled the silver hair with beachy waves, much like he had seen in the morning, looking very natural.

“Y-You’re… Uh… _Wow_ ,” Henry stutters as she walks towards him. “You’re stunning,” He manages to blurt out.

Liese chuckles slightly, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, but I don’t believe it,” She says. “You said the same thing when I was wearing scrubs,” Liese explains with a pointed look and he chuckles.

“It’s not about the clothes,” The man replies with a soft look on his face and she almost melts.

“Well, you’re very handsome yourself,” She praises, a hand running under the lapel of his coat.

Henry’s wearing a deep blue three-piece suit with a gray dress shirt, two buttons popped open to reveal some chest hair. On top of that, he has a thick dark coat. His curled short hair falls over his forehead, making him look both adorable and extremely hot. Overall, he could make Liese wet if he smirked at her.

She’s simply glad that she went all the way because she’d feel extremely underdressed if she had chosen something different.

“Thanks,” He smiles at her.

“Looking very good, Dr. Hartmann,” Mr. Ferris says and suddenly Liese remembers him.

She looks his way and smiles. “Thanks, Mr. Ferris.”

“Shall we?” Henry asks and she looks back at him.

“Sure. Good night, Mr. Ferris,” The woman bids goodbye to the elder man.

“See you soon, sir,” The actor says to Mr. Ferris.

“Have a good time,” He wishes.

“Thanks,” The couple replies at the same time.

Henry leads Liese outside with a hand on the small of her back. “This one,” He steers her to a black Bentley, completely different from the SUV he drove her there yesterday.

“Nice car,” She praises as he opens the door for her.

He chuckles. “Thanks,” He says.

The man walks around the car while she buckles the belt. “How many cars do you have?” She asks, looking at him with a smile.

“A few,” Henry shrugs off and she raises both eyebrows. “I like cars,” He says and she chuckles.

“Sure,” She says.

“How about you?” He asks, starting the car.

“As of now, zero,” Liese replies. “The only car I want it’s my brother’s and I haven’t been lucky these last few years.”

“Really?” He glances at her.

“Yeah,” She nods. “I don’t mind taking the tube, in fact, I don’t care at all.”

“You’re very humble, aren’t you?” Henry chuckles.

“I am, actually,” She says. “I appreciate you taking me to this restaurant, don’t get me wrong, but I also could do a pub with oily snacks and a pint,” The man glances at her again with an amused expression. “I was raised with boys,” She shrugs off.

“At least I already know where our second date is gonna be,” He says.

“Oh, honey. You’re so hopeful,” Liese jokes and laughs at his expression.

The ride to Covent Garden is not long but filled with chit chat. Soon, Henry pulls over in front of the restaurant. He leaves the car and quickly makes his way around it to open the door to Liese. He helps her out and offers his arm like a real gentleman.

With arms linked, the couple gets into the restaurant, not before Henry could praise Liese again. “Good evening,” The hostess smiles at them as they approach.

“Good evening. We have a reservation under the name Cavill,” He says.

She nods, quickly typing on her iPad. “Of course, allow me to show you to your seats,” The hostess says, turning around.

The couple follows her into the bar section, the walls covered by green plants, what both amazes Liese and makes her wonder if it’s real. Red leather contrasts with orange wood and brown seats. Two rooms are just like that before they get into a room with cherry blossoms covering the ceiling with twinkling lights intertwined in it.

“Oh wow,” Liese murmurs, looking up at the cherry blossoms.

Henry has to guide her the rest of the way because she isn’t able to tear her eyes away from it. The hostess leads them to a more secluded table but placed in the same gorgeously decorated space.

“May I take your coats?” The woman guiding them asks.

The man nods and then proceeds to help Liese out of her coat. She’s still mesmerized by her surroundings to the point she doesn’t take her eyes away from the ceiling as Henry helps seat down too. He removes his coat, handing it to the hostess before taking a seat across from Liese.

“A waiter will be with you soon,” The hostess says, holding both of their coats. “Have a nice diner.”

“Thank you,” Henry says to the woman and then looks back at his date when she leaves. A smile forms in his lips. “Well? What do you think?” He asks and she finally looks back at him.

“This place is gorgeous,” She says, reaching out to take his hand. “Thank you so much for bringing me here,” She adds sincerely and Henry smiles wider.

“You’re very welcome,” He starts. “But it’s not as gorgeous as you are,” The man praises once again.

For the first time since they’ve met, Henry sees Liese blushing. At the moment he opens his mouth to say something else, the waiter arrives at their table. He handles both of them menus and waits for them to decide on what to eat. Henry picks a bottle of wine and the waiter praises his choice before walking away.

“ _Très bien,_ ” Liese says in French in a joking manner.

He smiles at her immediately. “Do you speak French too?” He asks, teasing.

“ _Non pas du tout,_ ” She chuckles at her joke and he joins her. “I mean, I can remember bits from school but, fluently, only German and English.”

“When did you move here?” Henry asks.

“I’m British, Henry,” The woman giggles, answering his question. “I did live in Germany for a while when I was a teenager, but I was born and raised in Hampstead,” She explains.

“I’d never know,” He shakes his head slightly. “You very German-looking,” He adds.

“Well, my mother is half German and my father is totally German,” She says. “Granddad married a German lady, had my mom, she met my dad in an exchange program she was doing there. When she came home, he came looking for her shortly after.”

The waiter comes back with appetizers and the wine bottle Henry ordered. “Thanks,” The actor says to him. “Cheers,” The actor raises his wine glass to clink with hers.

“Cheers,” She smiles and takes a sip.

“About your parents,” He continues the conversation. “Sounds like a Hollywood rom-com,” Henry says and then, he leans forward on the table. “While we’re in this topic, I’m intrigued,” He starts.

“Okay,” Liese nods, nibbling on the appetizer.

“Do you know that I’ve played Superman, right?” He asks, frowning slightly while looking at her.

“Of course,” The woman nods again.

“Oh, okay,” He nods too. “It’s just because you’ve never mentioned anything related to it and people usually point it out right away,” He explains.

Liese chuckles at him. “I work with and very close to children, Cavill. I’d consider myself a really bad doctor for not knowing every superhero film, cartoons, and animations,” She says.

“It makes sense,” Henry agrees, chuckling along with her.

“I just never mentioned because I didn’t think it would gonna make a difference. Would it?” She asks, resting her chin on her palm.

“Not at all,” He shakes his head, opening a smile. “I’m glad you didn’t, actually,” He smiles. “So, tell me, how long have you been working at the foundation?”

Liese proceeds to tell him that she’s one of the founders of it, that’s why she’s the head of the medical staff. Angela Davies, the little girl that named the foundation, was the woman’s patient at St. Thomas’ and is in remission to this day because of her efforts along with her friend, Sierra Jones. So, the two doctors and the patient’s father, who happens to be a millionaire, started the foundation to help other kids.

Liese’s phone doesn’t stop ringing into her purse and she finally looks at it when their food arrives. There were three missed calls from Gustav along with a bunch of texts of him whining about her missing poker’s night. She ignores all of it and leaves her phone at the table, focusing back on their meal.

The conversation is very easygoing, but the doctor does most of the talking. Henry is trying to get to know her the best he can. She tells him that she practically has three jobs; the formal one at St. Thomas’ Hospital, at the Angela Davies Foundation and a private practice in which she sees patients at home, usually on her downtime. But she explains that she chose not to get paid for the work she does at the foundation and she’s very proud of it.

“I’m really sorry about this,” She says suddenly, taking her phone off the table after the third buzz.

“If you need to take this, I’m okay with it,” Henry reassures.

“No, it’s fine,” She shakes her head, locking the screen. “It’s just my brother annoying me for not coming to poker night,” Liese waves her hand nonchalantly. “He doesn’t believe I’m on a date,” She rolls her eyes.

The man frowns, pretty sure he had seen the name ‘Gustav’ on the screen. “How many brothers do you have, anyway?” He asks.

“Too many,” She widens her eyes slightly, taking a sip of the wine. “After my parents had my older brother,” The woman starts to explain after seeing his face.

“Anton,” He says.

“No, Wolfgang,” Liese corrects him with a chuckle. “Yeah, well. After they had Wolfie, they wanted a girl but Anton came along. They tried again and had me. It was supposed to be it. However, when I was five, my mother got pregnant by ‘accident’,” She makes air quotes. “Identical twins, Gustav and Otto.”

“No way,” Henry chuckles at said ‘accident’.

“Yeah,” The doctor nods. “So, I have four brothers,” She rests her chin on her palm. “This tends to scare guys away,” She confesses, looking at him.

“Well, not me,” He says with a smile.

She smiles at him too. “How about you?” Liese asks, picking up her fork.

“Oddly enough, I have four brothers, too,” The man replies.

“Any sister?” Now she’s the one with the questions because she genuinely didn’t know anything about him.

He shakes his head. “Only brothers.”

“Oh,” She makes a face. “Your poor mother,” The woman jokes.

Henry chuckles. “She’s a strong woman,” He says, clearly proud of her.

“I bet,” She smiles. “Are you older than the rest?”

“No,” The man shakes his head again. “I have three older brothers; Piers, Niki, and Simon; and one younger brother, Charlie.”

“Well, at least you’re not the one who’s always being compared to the others,” Liese chuckles.

“My family is not like that,” He explains.

“Good. Mine neither,” She sips her wine again.

“What do you mean when you said your brother doesn’t believe you’re on a date?” Henry asks, interested in that.

The woman pauses for a bit, licking her lips. “I don’t… Go on dates,” She replies slowly.

“What?” He laughs in disbelief. “You’re one of the most stunning women I’ve ever seen in my life. How come you don’t have guys asking you out?” The man asks, completely dumbfounded.

“I mean, they do,” Liese shrugs slightly. “I just don’t go,” She explains. “My last relationship was… disappointing, to say the least. So, I kinda gave up on that and focused on work,” Liese confesses. “I have a lot of that, anyway,” She chuckles bitterly.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Henry says, sounding genuine. “And I hope you didn’t give up on it completely.”

“Well, I’m here, ain’t I?” She smiles at him.

“And I really appreciate it,” He says and gets a wink in response as she takes a bite of the food.

Liese’s phone vibrates on her lap and she has an idea. “This might sound idiotic, but do you mind if I take a photo of you?” She asks out of the blue. “I mean, you handsome as fuck, but I think it’d make my brother shut up,” She explains and he laughs.

“I don’t mind as long as you let me take photos of you too,” He bargains. “I’d love to brag about you to my brothers.”

“Photos?” She raises an eyebrow with a smile. “Well, that escalated quickly. I just need one,” She chuckles, raising her phone towards him. “Give me your best, Superman,” The woman says after taking a few pics of him serious and he chuckles at her words. “Thanks,” She bites her lips, choosing one picture.

“My turn?” He asks, taking his phone from the inner pocket of the jacket.

“Snap away, handsome,” Liese says, cropping the photo so it just shows from his cute chin and below. “Cameras don’t love me as they love you, though,” She smiles, glancing up at him. “I’m not a Hollywood star,” Liese teases him and looks back down at her phone and sending the photo to Gustav.

“I have to disagree on that,” The man says. “You look amazing,” He adds. “But I want you to pose for me, too.”

He’s snapping photos of her since she said he could but she poses to him anyway and he takes quite a few amazing shots. Then, the woman’s phone vibrates on her lap again with a new text from Gustav and she glances down at the notification.

> _Hm, Jaeger-LeCoultre. Fancy. Very. Fancy.  
> _ _Who’s that? Show me his face._

She rolls her eyes at the text and decides to turn off the phone. “What did he say?” Henry asks, amused by her reaction.

“I think the only thing he saw was your watch,” She says, rolling her eyes.

He chuckles. “So, poker night?” The man furrows his brows.

“Well,” Liese chuckles. “My brothers always included me in everything and my family never had the gender separation nonsense. Like, this is for boys and this is for girls,” She explains.

“That sounds like parenting done right,” Henry says, making her smile wider.

“Exactly! That’s how I want to do in my family, too,” She says.

The lamp goes off in his head as the man sips the wine. Finally, the questions that really matter to know one’s intentions for the long term.

“You want a family?” He asks.

She nods right away. “Of course. And a big one, too,” She replies, unintentionally pleasing Henry with it. “I think I’d feel void without at least three kids,” She chuckles. “I don’t know about you, but my teenage mornings were very chaotic with a family of seven and I honestly miss it.”

“Mine was, too,” Henry smiles, nodding too. “And I quite agree with you. I’d feel like something’s missing.”

“Yes!” The woman doesn’t hide her excitement. “But I’d like to have more than one girl so she won’t suffer alone the pain that is to share the bathroom with boys,” She chuckles.

“Two girls sound nice,” He agrees again. “To be honest, I can’t stand the thought of guys touching my baby girl or girls. So, I change my mind, no girls,” He says and she laughs.

“You’re so silly,” Liese shakes her head slightly. “So, tell me more about that role you’re trying to get. The one that has hair like mine,” She asks and she’s glad she did because Henry’s eyes light up right away.

For the rest of the diner, she listens Henry talking about this fantasy character named Geralt. He explains how he’s annoying the hell out of the producers since he heard Netflix would make a TV series of it.

They share desert and the actor doesn’t allow Liese to pay half of the bill. He helps her to put her coat the foyer of the restaurant and slips his own before they step out in the cold night. Once again, Henry makes sure to open and close the door for Liese before rushing to the driver’s seat.

Henry tries to persuade her into going to his house by saying that Kal misses her, but the woman declines politely. She has to wake up even earlier tomorrow for her shift at St. Thomas’, so, sleeping in his place is completely out of question.

The drive back to her apartment building is much faster but equally entertaining as they continue talking. However, when he parks in front of it and immediately reaches the door handle, Liese stops him with a hand on his arm.

“Thank you so much for the amazing evening, I had an amazing time,” Liese says honestly, a satisfied smile playing on her lips as she stares into his eyes.

“I had an amazing time, too,” Henry says, smiling at her. “You’re a wonderful woman,” He watches as she unbuckles her belt.

“And you’re a real gentleman,” She starts to lean closer to him. “A dying kind,” She whispers against his lips before sealing it with hers.

His large hands cup her face and she pulls him closer from the neck, deepening the kiss. Things start to get heated quickly and, with a simple hand on her waist, Henry pulls the woman over the car console to his lap. She runs her hands on his chest and he doesn’t realize as she stuffs something in the front pocket of his suit jacket.

She stops everything when he slides his lips to her neck and collarbone, squeezing her ass and making her moan. “I have to get in,” Liese whispers, capturing his lips one last time tonight. “Don’t let Kal have this one,” She says, patting his chest and confusing him as she climbs out of his lap. “Have a good night, Mr. Cavill. I’ll call you,” Liese pecks his lips and winks at him before opening the door and leaving his car.

Henry is completely baffled as he watches her hips sway with a semi hard-on into his pants. Then, a few seconds after she disappeared into the building, he chuckles, shaking his head.

“What a woman,” He says to himself, pushing his hair out of his face and restarting his car.

The man drives home and Kal greets him as usual. He puts food for the big bear before starting to undress. His mind was already going a thousand miles while thinking about Liese, but then he finds what she stuffed into his pocket. Slowly, he pulls the small, lacy piece of underwear from it.

Now it makes sense what she said about not letting Kal have that one.

Henry stares at it for a whole minute, wondering at what point the woman slid it off because he didn’t notice at all. She was definitely wearing it because it smells like her and it’s still warm. With his mouth still dropped open, Henry grabs his phone and snaps a photo of the pantie.

> _Are you kidding me? When did you take this off?_ , he texts her.

> _While we’re slightly making out in the car. I hope you liked the gift ;p_ , she texts back almost immediately.

> _I did, but I prefer taking it out myself_ , Henry replies.

> _I’m sorry, my shift at St. Thomas’ starts very early tomorrow. I’ll repay you soon, I promise xo_ , her last text says.

The man simply shakes his head with a smile on his face while Liese does the same in her apartment.


	6. ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴠ – ℬℴ𝓎𝒻𝓇𝒾ℯ𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝓉ℯ𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓁

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to post this at the beginning of the week but my creativity decided to give up on me and it just came back a couple of days ago when my will to write ran out of the door lmao

Her groan echoes in the empty doctors’ lounge and she rests her forehead on the cold tabletop. Liese had barely gotten any sleep in the previous night thinking about Henry, she might as well have let him come up to her apartment.

Sierra gets into the room and chuckles at the sight of her friend. “Someone had a rough night,” She comments, taking a seat across from Liese.

She grunts again. “I haven’t slept a wink,” She replies, raising her head slowly.

“Why?” Her friend asks. “What’s keeping you up?”

Liese ponders for a second, playing with her paper cup filled with steamy coffee. “I have to tell you something,” She starts. “But you can’t tell anyone else, at least for now.”

“Okay,” Sierra nods, taking a sip of her own coffee.

“I’ve slept with Henry Cavill,” The woman blurts out, unable to keep that from her friend anymore – actually, best friend. The reaction from her is unexpected as she spits her coffee out on Liese. “Sierra!” She complains, looking at her with wide eyes.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” She says, looking at her with an apologetic face. “You did what?” She furrows her brows.

Liese looks down at the coffee staining her scrubs and shakes her head, standing up. She throws her coffee away and walks out of the doctor’s lounge, towards the locker room. Sierra follows her, eager to know more about that.

“Hold on!” She rushes after the silver-haired doctor. “How and when did this happen? Is he as big as he looks like? Is he as good as I imagine him to be? Oh my God, is his ass that amazing without clothes?” Sierra fires away.

“Dear Lord, shut up,” Liese says with an alarmed expression, looking around to see if someone heard any of it. “Don’t make me regret telling you that,” She gives her friend a pointed look before continuing walking towards the locker room.

“Why are you so worked up about this?” Her friend asks, completely confused.

“Because he’s in the public eye!” She states the obvious. “And I don’t want anyone to spread rumors on the internet that might get to gossip pages when I don’t even know what’s going on.”

“Well, when you put it in that way,” Sierra shrugs and they get into the empty locker room. “Will you tell me more about it though?”

“Yes. I was about to do just that when you spat coffee on me!” The woman says, pulling clean scrubs from her locker.

“I’m so sorry,” Her friend whines with a face. “It’s not every day that your best friend sleeps with Superman. I was shocked!” She says. “Damn, I _am_ shocked.”

Liese chuckles, walking away. “Cmon, I’ll take a quick shower and you can stand outside the stall so I can spill the beans.”

“There isn’t anyone in here, you can start,” Sierra rushes.

“Aren’t you eager to know about that, huh?” The woman teases, looking at her friend. “Can you try to clean this up so it doesn’t stain?” She asks, stripping off her shirt.

The oncologist takes it and turns to the sink. “Of course I’m eager,” She replies. “Remember that I was the one hyping you up yesterday about exactly that?” She points out and then it clicks. “Oh my god, did you have sex with him in your office yesterday?”

“No, I did not,” Liese chuckles again as she turns the shower on.

“Hmm, I’ll pretend to believe in you,” The woman says, rinsing the coffee from Liese’s scrubs. “So, how did this happen?”

“Well, he approached me at the gala,” She starts to tell the story and her friend grins. “We started flirting, I didn’t think too much of it but then he suggested we leave and get food.”

Sierra laughs loudly. “What? Actually, this is so _you_ , Lis,” She says, shaking her head.

“I was hungry, okay? I didn’t eat anything before going to the gala,” She defends herself. “Anyway. We went to a drive-thru and then to his house,” She pauses. “Yes, he is big. Yes, he’s good, even better than that, I’d say. Yes, his ass is very much amazing,” She answers all the questions Sierra asked previously.

“Oh my Gooood,” Her friend squeals in excitement, and Liese simply chuckles.

“But then I was drunk enough to blacked out,” Liese confesses.

“What? I thought you had sex with him!” She says with a frown.

“I had, I blacked out after it. It doesn’t even matter, because the morning sex was even better,” She points out. “If that isn’t enough for you…”

“What?” Sierra asks, interrupting her.

The woman smiles at her excitement. “He made me breakfast, asked me on a date during said breakfast, and even dropped me off at home,” She says.

Suddenly, her friend pokes her head into the shower stall with the biggest grin on her face. “I’m loving this,” She says.

Liese chuckles and shakes her head, turning off the shower, not bothered by her friend seeing her naked. “When I came back home at the end of the day, he was at my doorstep,” She continues while drying off her body.

“Yesterday?” Sierra asks, leaning against the sink again.

“No, that was Tuesday. He dropped me off home in the morning after breakfast and was waiting for me when I came back home,” The doctor explains, dressing the clean scrubs quickly. “He slept over and he was dropping off my keys when he came to the foundation yesterday,” Liese says as she steps out of the shower stall.

Her friend’s jaw is on the floor. “Seriously?”

She nods, sitting on the bench to put her shoes back on. “I went on a date with him last night,” She confesses, hugging her legs after lacing her shoes.

By now Sierra is already sitting across from her on the bench and her reaction to the last piece of information is priceless. A mix between surprise and happiness washes over her face, making Liese smile.

“Lis…” She says, unable to form a proper sentence.

“Yeah, I know,” The woman sighs. “And he’s such a gentleman, Sie. Like, seriously! He’s that kind of gentleman that only exists in old films, how’s that even possible?” She asks rhetorically. “He’s funny, smart, he’s actually interested in what I have to say and I… I really like him,” She confesses.

Her friend stares at her in silence for a few seconds. “You don’t seem very happy about that,” She points out.

“I’m just scared,” Liese confesses, her shoulders dropping. “I’m scared of getting my hopes up for something that isn’t going to move forward. You know I have this habit.”

Sierra shakes her head. “I’m going to stop you right there,” The oncologist says. “That was very different. He made promises to you, promises he never intended to fulfill but you didn’t know that. And there’s no way you could know that,” She says.

“Still,” The woman shrugs. “As I’ve said before, he’s in the public eye, he’s famous. I’m don’t know if I should expect something more serious. I mean, he’s surrounded by gorgeous women all the time,” She says and her friend gives her a dirty look as to tell her that’s bullshit. “I don’t know. The only thing I know is that I like him.”

“Oh my God! Stop overthinking!” Sierra starts. “Let things flow as they should and don’t rush into assumptions,” Her friend makes a face. “You only know the guy for three days, it was _one_ date. Chill the fuck out,” She advises, making Liese chuckle.

“That’s why I love you,” The woman says, reaching out to hug her friend.

“One more thing,” Sierra says, holding a hand out to stop her. “If you ever keep things like that from me ever again, I’ll murder you,” She threatens.

“Okay,” Liese nods, slapping the oncologist’s hand away and wrapping her arms around her. “I love you,” She says.

“I love you, too,” Sierra replies.

“Please, don’t mention anything about that to my brothers,” She asks.

“They don’t know either?” Her friend is truly shocked.

“Gustav knows I went on a date and he probably told everyone else by now but that’s it,” She says. “He doesn’t know it was with Henry and I want my family to know as little as possible until I figure out where this is going,” She explains, fixing her bun and standing up.

“Okay,” She nods. “I want to know more about this date, though,” She adds, following Liese.

The woman turns to her with the most radiant smile. “It was amazing!” She says, closing her locker. “But you’ll have to wait till lunch to know more about it because my break is over and I need to get back to the ED.”

Sierra’s face falls. “Are you kidding me?” She asks as the doctor leaves the room.

“Nope,” She shakes her head, walking away.

The ED is quite peaceful until lunchtime which Liese both appreciates and dreads at the same time. As promised, she tells Sierra everything about her date with Henry in reach details; how amazing it’s the restaurant he took her, the delicious wine, the impeccable meal, what they’ve talked about, and even the make-out session on his car before she got into her apartment building. Her friend can’t stop squealing at what makes her excited, which is about every little detail Liese tells her.

As she dreaded, the afternoon is hell in the ED. From a rush of incoming patients three different times within five hours to dealing with bureaucracy, annoying relatives, and difficult patients, the woman develops a headache and cravings for a relaxing shower and a steamy mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows.

Her phone rings as she walks towards the tube station and she answers without checking the caller’s ID. “Hello.”

“ _Ah, it’s nice hearing your voice,_ ” Henry’s baritone voice fills her ears.

“Oh, hey you,” She smiles instantly. “It’s good to hear your voice, too,” She replies, climbing down the stairs.

“ _What are you up to?_ ” He asks.

“Uh, I just got off work,” Liese replies, navigating the crowd. “I’m about to take the tube,” She says. “You?”

“ _I’m just thinking about you,_ ” The man is completely honest. “ _Can I come over? I’ll cook you dinner,_ ” He offers.

Her smile widens. “What’s the proposal exactly?” She asks.

“ _How do sesame chicken and chili lime slaw sounds like?_ ” Henry suggests.

She closes her eyes for a second, imagining it and humming at the thought of him cooking it. “In your voice? Heavenly,” The woman says. “Imagining you making it? Porn,” She adds and his laugh makes her stomach twirl with butterflies.

“ _So, it’s a deal?_ ” He asks to make sure.

“Yeah, I’d love that,” Liese replies and sighs. “I’m just very tired, I might start nodding off on you,” She warns, making a face he couldn’t see.

“ _I don’t mind,_ ” The man replies quickly. “ _As long as I can have you in my arms, it’s fine,_ ” He adds.

She nearly swoons at his words. “Dear Lord, yes. Get your fabulous ass in my flat,” She says, making him laugh again.

“ _I’ll be there in a few. Can I bring Kal?_ ” He asks and Liese can picture him raising his eyebrow.

“Oh, please do. I need a snuggle buddy,” She agrees almost immediately.

“ _I thought I was the snuggle buddy,_ ” Now she’s positive he’s pouting.

She chuckles at her imagination, biting down on her lip. “You are,” Liese reassures. “But with whom I’ll snuggle with while you’re cooking?”

“ _That’s a valid point,_ ” He agrees.

“I know,” The woman chuckles again. “Okay, I’ll take the train now. See you in a few.”

“ _Be safe,_ ” Henry says.

“You too,” She hangs up after getting into the train car.

Needless to say, it’s packed with people as it’s the rush hour, so Liese doesn’t have anywhere to sit. This only adds to her tiredness but nothing she couldn’t handle. Soon enough, she arrives at her building and Mr. Ferris is there to greet her, as usual. She gets her mail and rushes to her apartment to have that much-needed shower.

Just as she finishes dressing up, the doorbell rings. The sound is almost foreign to her ears as she rarely has visitors but the thought of the person behind the front door makes her heartbeat increase. The woman gets to the door with a smile on her face and she is greeted by a handsome man and an overly excited puppy.

“Oh fuck,” Henry gaps at her appearance.

Liese wears thigh high stockings, cheeky panties, and a sweatshirt that’s a tad small, leaving her lower stomach on display. “Are you going to keep gawking at me from my doorstep?” She raises an eyebrow at him in amusement.

Before he could reply, Kal barks at her, drawing her attention to himself. Then, the bear dog takes the liberty to get into her apartment and jumps at her, resting his big paws on her stomach as he demands scratches.

“Hey buddy,” The woman happily scratches behind his ears. “How are you? Have you been a good boy?” She slides to the floor with Kal and he shows her his belly. “I’m sure you have.”

She proceeds to talk to the dog in German and the man simply smiles at the scene in front of him. He steps into the apartment and shuts the door behind himself, watching as Liese allows Kal to lick her face without scolding him.

If Henry wasn’t crazy about her before, now he definitely is. A woman that doesn’t mind the crazy affection his dog has to give is a catch.

He takes the liberty to put the supermarket bags on the kitchen island along with a much adorable-looking shopping bag. “Alright, my turn,” Henry says, stopping in front of the woman.

She looks up at him with a genuine smile. Kal quickly wanders off to explore the unknown apartment and Henry offers a hand to help the woman up. She accepts it right away and he pulls her up to his arms, sealing their lips together. Apparently, the innocent peck doesn’t last as long as Liese desires as she shakes her head slightly when the man starts to move away, placing an arm around his shoulders and pulling him down again.

“Unh-unh,” She hums before deepening the kiss.

Henry’s thumbs press on her hips bones and then his arms fasten around her small body, pressing her against him. He almost sighs into the kiss as her free hand brushes his cheek fondly. She pulls away slowly and her tongue runs on her now slightly swollen lips.

“Hi,” She breathes out and drops a few inches.

Just now the man realizes she was on her tiptoes. “Hey love,” He can’t stop himself from pressing his lips against hers again. “How was your day?” He asks.

Liese groans, locking both arms around his neck as his hands rest in her hips. “Stressful,” She rolls her eyes. “But it’s a hundred times better now.”

“That’s good to know,” Henry smiles. “I got you something,” He says and she furrows her brows.

“What?” The woman asks, letting go of him as he moves towards the cute shopping bag and picks it up from the island. “Why?” She chuckles.

“Because I thought of you when I saw it,” He replies, giving her the shopping bag.

“Thanks,” She says, looking at him.

Henry leans against the island and watches as she smiles, looking at the single rose sticking out of the bag. The woman gently picks it up and brings it to her nose. She glances back at him and he simply smiles at her. Then, Liese looks back down at the bag, opening it as she holds the rose in her hand.

“Aww,” Liese says, taking the fluffy teddy bear out of the bag. “He’s so adorable,” She says, holding the small stuffed toy near her face while looking at Henry.

He just keeps staring at her with a huge grin on his face and she looks back at the teddy bear.

“I’ll call him Hank,” Liese decides, getting closer to him.

“Why not Henry?” He asks, frowning slightly.

“Because that’s my other teddy bear,” She replies, circling his neck with her arms again.

The man’s eyes instantly start to scan the apartment for another teddy bear but he’s sure there isn’t any. “And where’s it?”

“Right in front of me,” Liese says, biting her lip and he laughs in realization. She then presses her lips against his. “Thank you. I love it,” She says, looking into his eyes.

“Really?” He asks, smiling at her.

“Yes, very much,” She nods, walking towards her bed. “I think my niece will try to steal it from me the next time I babysit her,” The woman chuckles, looking down at the bear, and then she makes eye contact with Kal, who’s laying on her bed like it’s a habit of his. “Oh, you make yourself quite comfortable, don’t you?” She chuckles, petting the dog.

“Kal,” Henry calls, looking at the dog from across the room. “What are you doing? Get out of there.”

“No, it’s okay,” Liese reassures, petting the dog after carefully placing Hank in the middle of her bed, against the pillows.

She turns around to the man unpacking the groceries. “So, how old is your niece?” He asks curiously.

“She’s four,” The woman replies. “How can I help?” She asks, getting back to the kitchen space.

“Just get your _temporary_ snuggle buddy and put that fine ass of yours on the sofa,” Henry advises, giving emphasis on the word and making her chuckle. “I’ll figure things out around here, don’t worry,” He adds with a smile.

“Okay,” She says with a nod, turning to her fridge. “Can I at least pour you a pint?” She asks, taking a bottle of Guinness out of the fridge along with a can of RedBull.

“Sure,” He replies, opening her cabinets in search of pans. “Will you drink with me?”

“I’ll take a sip of yours, for sure,” Liese says, filling the pint. “But I can’t, love. I have to work early tomorrow,” She explains, the pet name rolling off of her tongue easily, without her realizing it.

But Henry catches it and he can’t help the goofy smile on his face. He stares at her in silence as she takes a sip of the beer, only realizing his gaze on her while she settles the pint down.

“What?” She asks, licking her lips.

“Nothing,” Henry shakes his head and takes the pint she’s offering him. “Do you babysit her often?” He returns to the niece subject.

“Yeah. And her brother, too,” The woman replies, cracking open a RedBull and pouring it into a glass. “Especially now that my sister-in-law had another baby. I try to take them as much as possible to give her a break,” She explains, moving away.

“How many niece and nephews do you have?” He asks while skillfully working on the chicken breasts.

“Eight,” Liese says, flipping her flat screen to face the living room space. “Four of each. How about you?” She asks, taking a seat at the sofa with the remote in her hands.

“Ten; eight nephews and two nieces,” The man replies and she makes a face.

“There are way too many men in your family,” She points out, turning the TV on. “You have no sisters and only two nieces… That’s terrible.”

Henry chuckles. “It’s not that terrible,” He says.

“For you,” She says, taking a sip from her drink. “Kal,” The woman whistles, and the dog immediately jumps off her bed, looking over at her from the corner of the shelving. “Come here, buddy,” She calls, tapping on the sofa.

He accepts the invitation right away and climbs on the sofa, quickly snuggling next to Liese. She chuckles at the pet, who doesn’t waste time in giving her a few more licks on the face as she scratches his ears.

From the kitchen space, Henry smiles. “How come you don’t have any pets?” The man asks and she looks back at him, pushing Kal to sit beside her. “You’re so good with Kal.”

“I do, actually. I have two cats at my parents’,” She replies.

“Cats?” Henry makes a face, looking up at her. “I thought you were a dog person,” He says.

“Now, there’s no such thing, okay,” She chuckles. “Cats are great, too. Unless you have allergies… But people who say they are ‘dog person’ have never spent time with a cat to know better,” Liese makes air quotes. “Have you?” She raises her eyebrow.

He chuckles before replying. “Guilty as charged.”

“See?” She laughs.

“But why are your cats at your parents’?” He asks. “They don’t allow pets in here?”

“They do,” Liese nods. “I was working a lot a while ago and wasn’t giving them the attention they deserve. So, I took them to stay with my parents for a couple of weeks and they never let me have them back,” She explains, petting Kal’s head as he rests in on her lap.

They keep chatting about anything while Henry prepares their diner, after all, they’re still getting to know each other. At some point, the man even asks if that counts as a date, and Liese confirms with a chuckle.

“Here you go,” Henry says, bringing the food dish to her on the sofa.

“Oh, my God. Are you serious?” She laughs, looking up to meet his eyes.

“Yep. The full service,” He replies as she sits upright. “Down,” He says to Kal while Liese takes the plate.

“It looks amazing,” She says and he starts to move away. “Hey,” The woman grabs his t-shirt and pulls him down for a peck on the lips. “Thank you,” She says against his lips.

“You’re welcome,” Henry presses his lips against hers one more time before moving away.

Liese puts a piece of the sesame chicken into her mouth and she can’t help but moan at the taste. “Goddamn, why?” She asks herself.

“Is there a problem?” He asks, returning to the sofa with his plate and another RedBull for her.

“Yes!” She says with an incredulous look and Henry hesitates. “You’re too perfect.”

The man immediately laughs and shakes his head, taking a seat beside her and pouring the beverage into her empty glass. “I’m not perfect,” He says, handing her the now full glass.

“I beg to differ,” Liese points to her drink and the delicious food. “This is beyond delicious,” She says.

“I’m glad you like it,” He says with a smile. “But I’m still not perfect.”

“Oh, Henry. Please!” She deadpans. “You’re awfully handsome, even better in bed,” She says without shame and he laughs. “And can cook like a chef. Why aren’t you married anyway?”

“Haven’t found the one yet,” He replies truthfully, looking at her. “You?” He asks back.

“I work a lot,” The woman says. “It’s not easy to find someone who understands,” She stuffs her mouth with food to prevent herself from saying too much.

“I get that,” Henry says and looks back at him. “Way too well, actually,” He adds.

They share a look for a few seconds and Liese’s smile widens before she looks down at her plate shyly. She then offers him another pint which he kindly declines, saying that his trainer will have his head in a silver platter if he keeps indulging himself in anything he wants to. They eat in comfortable silence and the woman thanks Henry again for the meal.

She once again points out how perfect Henry is because he didn’t leave any dirty dishes behind. All the pans, bowls, knives, and even the cutting board he used to make their meal is perfectly washed. And he doesn’t let her wash the dishes they used by herself, instead, they agree on him washing and she drying and putting it away.

Despite all the RedBull consumed, Liese can’t stifle her yawns as they watch TV in the living room and the man suggests they go to bed. After flipping the flat screen to face her bedroom again, they get into bed. She rests her head comfortably on Henry’s chest and tucks her hand into his t-shirt, caressing his torso before leaving it on his stomach. He flinched at her warm touch at first, flexing his abs, then he focuses his attention on stopping the blood flow to his cock.

Kal sat at the edge of her bed and kept staring at them until the woman allowed him to climb onto the mattress. Now he’s lying at their feet.

Even though she could barely keep her eyes open, Liese still tries to fight her sleep and the man notices it. “You know you can sleep, right love?” He says. “I don’t mind.”

“Yeah,” She replies, unable to stifle another yawn and rubbing her tired eyes slightly.

“Then why are you resisting sleep so much?” Henry asks with furred browns, trying to get a look on her face.

“I want to spend more time with you,” The woman replies honestly, raising her head to look at him.

He smiles at her answer and she smiles back at him, reaching out her hand to caress his sharp jawline. While his blue orbs don’t leave her brown ones, the woman’s eyes try to memorize every inch of his flawless face. His high cheekbones, his adorable nose, his perfectly shaped mouth, and even his long and enviable eyelashes. Her fingertips brush gently on his jaw, the short stubble tickling it.

Liese bites her bottom lip slightly as she places her thumb into the cleft of his chin, her eyes shifting back to his. “I know we know each other for only three days,” She starts, fingers still caressing his chin and jaw. “But I really like you,” She confesses.

The corners of his lips curl up in a small smile. “I really like you, too,” He says.

Now it’s her time to smile before pulling herself up to press her lips against his. One kiss leads to another which leads to Liese straddling his body before being pinned down by it while he thrusts into her slowly.

The sex is not as urgent as the other times they had it, they’re not simply seeking the amazing sensations of the release. It feels much more like they’re enjoying each other’s company and trying to memorize each other’s sweet spots.

Henry is not offended nor bothered by the fact that she is fast asleep as soon as her head rests on his chest again. Her naked body – well, almost completely as he left the stockings on while undressing her – is pressed against his, one leg throw above his, and the warmth of her body is very soothing.

As his fingertips brush soothingly along her spine, the man wonders if a relationship with Liese will be possible and, if so, how is going to be like when he’s away because that has been the kryptonite of all his past relationships.

Kal, who got annoyed with all the fussing happening on the mattress half an hour ago and left, interrupts his thoughts as he jumps back onto the bed. The dog makes himself comfortable beside the woman and rests his head in the middle of her back, where Henry could reach to pet him.

“You like her, right bear?” He asks the dog who stares at him. “Me too, buddy. Me too.”

It doesn’t take too much time for the man to fall asleep too. In the middle of the night, Liese wakes up with the TV shining way too bright. The remote is nowhere to be found, probably on the sofa, so she’s forced to leave the comfort of Henry’s arms and turn it off.

She smiles at his adorable sleeping form and caresses the bear dog before standing up. She dresses her clothes again, turns off the TV, and then drinks two glasses of water to ease her thirst before going back to bed.

Immediately after laying down with her back turned to the man, he drapes his arm around her, pulling her against his chest and inhaling the scent of her hair. Liese smiles at that and even more when Kal decides to reposition himself into her arms.

In the morning, she wakes up before her alarm, feeling well-rested. Well, how could she not? So, the woman turns off the alarm to not wake up the sleeping actor laying beside her and turns around to admire his beauty until she couldn’t be in bed anymore.

Carefully to not disturb Henry, she gets up and pets Kal. Without making a sound, she gets into her bathroom and starts to get ready for work.

While she intended to let the man sleep as much as he wants to, his dog doesn’t share the same intentions. As she exits the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel, Kal is standing on the bed near Henry, nudging his face with his snout while whining.

“No, Kal,” She whispers, trying to shush the dog away. “Don’t…” She says but then she sees the man stirring awake. “You’re a bad boy after all, huh?” She gives him a look.

“Alright, bear. I’m awake,” Henry says to the dog, voice hoarse from sleeping, and Kal licks his face. “Were you planning on leaving me here sleeping again?” Henry asks her as he pushes his pet away.

“Yes, I was,” The woman replies.

“Then, good boy,” He says to Kal.

Liese shakes her head and crawls on the bed towards him, pressing her lips against his. “Good morning,” She says, looking down at him.

“Oh yes, it’s very good like this,” The man agrees and she chuckles as he pulls her face down again. “What time is it?” He asks as she moves away.

“Seven something,” She replies, getting into her closet.

“Where are you working today?” Henry yawns, rubbing the sleep off of his eyes.

“At St. Thomas’,” Her voice travels back to him as he gets up from the bed and starts to get dressed.

He checks the exact time on his phone before shoving it into his pocket. “Can I drop you off?” He asks, putting his shirt on.

Liese emerges from the closet dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. “You don’t have to,” She says. “It’s the opposite way of your house,” Liese adds.

“But I want to,” He insists, getting into her bathroom. As he flushes the toilet, the woman gets into the bathroom with him. “And we can get breakfast on the way,” He suggests, hugging her from behind and kissing her neck as she plugs her hairdryer.

“Okay,” The woman smiles, turning around to peck his lips. “You don’t have to give me these puppy eyes. It’s your gas you’re wasting,” She points out, handing him a new toothbrush.

Henry smiles widely, opening the packaging and wetting the toothbrush. “And I’ll gladly drive you around,” He replies, watching her start to dry her hair as he brushes his teeth.

Liese only chuckles and shakes her head slightly.


	7. ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴠɪ - 𝒰𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS! I’M FINALLY BACK! Posting a new chapter of this fic makes it official. I’m so happy I’m able to update it, you have no idea. Also, so many great plots came into my mind while I was in this forced hiatus. Things will spice up hehehe Okay, now I’ll let you guys read it! :D

"So... The girl," Nik starts casually as if he wants nothing.

_Oh, yeah... Very smooth, Niki. Very smooth._

He and Simon share a glance when Henry does not reply, eyes fixed on the TV.

"Henry," Nik calls.

"Yeah?" He replies without prying his eyes off the flat screen, mildly paying attention to his brother.

"The girl," His brother repeats.

"Hm," Henry hums, sipping on his bear. "Who?"

"The one you're seeing," Simon quips in.

Now they have the actor's full attention, but he plays it off by keeping his gaze on the TV.

"Woman," He says, licking his lips. Giving the fact that he has actually dated _girls_ , he feels the need to point it out. "She's a woman," He explains.

His brothers share another knowing look.

"So, you're seeing someone," Nik remarks with a grin.

Henry hasn't said anything about Liese to any of his brothers yet. He mentioned, briefly, that he was taking someone out for dinner but that was it. And now interrogation starts, as it seems.

"What's her name again?" Simon asks.

"I've never said her name," The actor muses, finally looking over at his brothers.

Their interrogation confidence falters slightly as the tactic fails.

"Does she have white hair?" Charlotte inquires all of the sudden, coming from outside.

The man frowns, looking at her. "Yes," He confirms. "How do you know?"

Charlie calmly reaches down on the back of his shirt. The long white hair strand is a stark contrast to the black fabric and she picks it up gently, bringing it to Henry's eyesight. Just then he realizes that is the shirt he borrowed her after they've met (aka the night he ripped her dress open).

"She has a nice perfume, too," The woman adds, getting a water bottle from the fridge and walking back out of the door.

With the most confusing expression, Henry pulls the collar up to his nose and sniffs it. Surely enough, there's a whiff of Liese's perfume on the fabric – giving the fact that she washed and kept the shirt with her clothes before giving it back to him. Nevertheless, it's impressive that Charlie could pick that at all.

"How the heck did she smell that?" Henry asks, confused.

Nik and Simon shrug, both of them also impressed by Charlie's heightened sense. "What's her name, Henry?" His older brother now asks, joining the conversation.

"Liese," He replies without any mystery.

"That doesn't sound British?" Piers says.

"Yeah, her family is German," The actor explains.

"Oh," Nik smirks suggestively at Simon and Henry rolls his eyes.

Some cheers come from the TV but it's long forgotten by now.

"And how old is this _woman_ of yours?" Simon teases and the actor gives him a look, meaning he doesn't appreciate the joke.

"She's not mine," He clarifies. "And, I don't know..." Henry frowns and nips on his bottom lip thoughtfully. "But she's a doctor. So, I'm guessing about my age."

Eyebrows shot up in surprise. "A doctor, huh?" Nik muses.

"Yup. Pediatrician and A&E doctor," The actor nods.

"She's a woman, after all," Simon grants, making a face.

"Are you sure she's real?" Nik plays along.

Henry flips them off, something he rarely does, which makes all three of them laugh in amusement.

"Seriously," Nik starts as he stops laughing.

"She _is_ real," The actor emphasizes.

"Right, Hollywood star," He shakes his head. "Do you have any photos of her? We need visual confirmation," Nik says.

A grin spreads on his lips. "I do, actually," He says, fishing his phone from his pocket. "Just a few, though."

Simon snatches the phone from his hands and Nik and Piers gather around him to look at it. They quickly locate the woman in a figure-hugging red dress with a generous cleavage amongst random photos and videos of Kal.

"This is her?" Nik looks back at Henry, not believing his eyes. "Wow."

"Damn, she's gorgeous," Simon says, sliding from a smiling photo to one which she gives Henry a much seductive look.

"Is that all of it?" Nik seems disappointed when Kal shows up at the screen again. "Didn't even have the time to properly access her."

Piers chuckles. "Knock it off, you two," He says before looking at Henry. "She's beautiful, brother."

"Beautiful? She's hotter than all of his exes!" Nik declares.

A scowl sets on his face as he takes his phone back. "What are you boys up to?" Kiri comes into the house with the other spouses following behind.

"Still picking on poor Henry?" Charlie inquires.

"The woman he's dating is amazing," Nik says to the women, making a gesture to imply Liese's boobs.

"Oooh," Victoria says excitedly before Henry could correct his brother. "Show us the photos."

Once again, a crowd gathers around Henry's phone to gawk at Liese. And not only the wives, but also his brothers to take a second look at the doctor.

"Only these?" Kiri scoffs after looking at the four photos. "Are you kidding me, Henry?"

"Right?" Nik nods at his sister-in-law.

"I only took her out once, okay? And I didn't want to spend the entire date on my phone!" The actor tries to defend himself.

"Is she nice?" Charlie asks.

The silly smile is on his face before he can stop it. "Yeah, she's pretty amazing," He nods.

"How do you spell 'Liese'?" Simon asks with furrowed brows while Kiri, Niki, and Vicky look over his shoulders.

Henry's smile faints. "What are you doing?" He asks suspiciously.

"Trying to find her Instagram," Nik replies.

"It shouldn't be hard with her name," Vicky chimes in, and Kiri nods.

"I don't know about that," Henry narrows his eyes. "There's a lot of people on Instagram..."

"Found it," Simon interrupts him. "She's 'Liese Hartmann' with an 'e' and double 'n', right?" He asks just to confirm but the woman in the profile picture is definitely her.

Nik chuckles slightly. "Totally German."

"What?" The actor frowns, moving to look at his brother's phone as well. Sure enough, it's Liese's profile. "Yeah, that's her."

With the confirmation, Simon clicks on her profile and the group of nine adults all gather around the phone screen that has become _way_ too small. There was nothing too revealing nor pretentious – not even a bikini photo sipping on a glass of champagne in a boat. It's actually the other way around.

There are a lot of children; both from the association and her nieces and nephews. The doctor is either wearing her scrubs or casual clothes, surrounded by said kids, friends, and family. There are a few selfies then and there and some pets. Overall, just what Henry expected to see from knowing her, even if very little.

"She's thirty-three," Simon says, tapping on a photo.

Liese has a birthday hat on and she's holding a cake, blowing the number thirty-three candle on it. Henry knows it was taken in the association given the background, the kids surrounding the doctor once again, and her scrubs.

"That was last year," Kiri points out the date.

"Well," His brother shrugs. "I'll take it."

"And she's really pretty," Vicky remarks.

"Works a lot, though," Nik says.

Henry shakes his head. "Alright. Are you done?" He asks them.

"She seems good with kids," Charlie says but her comment doesn't have the teasing tone like the others.

"Yeah. Are any of these hers?" Vicky looks back at Henry.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "No, most of them are her patients."

"Even the blonde ones?" Simon asks. "Some of them look a lot like her. Like this little girl," He shows a photo.

"They're her nieces and nephews," Henry replies with a sigh.

"Are you sure?"

"Have you met any of them yet?"

The questions are asked at the same time and the actor frowns, glaring at them.

"Alright. Enough of this," He shakes his head, taking the last swing of his beer.

"You're leaving?" Nik asks with a cheeky grin and his wife nudges him to stop.

"Yeah, I have some things to do," He says, taking Kal's lead. "Kal!" Henry calls.

"No, Henry, don't go! I promise they'll stop," Charlie says, nudging his brother again to act like a grownup but Nik's smirk is set to annoy.

"Yes, they're done," Piers' smile turns into a stern look directed towards his brothers and wives, including his own.

"Thanks, sis," The actor kisses her cheek. "But I do need to go," He says.

Kal comes into the house trotting with the kids following behind. "Uncle Henry is leaving?" Grace asks with unruly hair for running after the dogs.

"Yeah, he's gonna see his girlfriend," Simon replies, picking his daughter up in his arms.

Oh, how badly Henry wants to punch him right now. But the smack he gets from Victoria is satisfying. It looks like she's okay teasing Henry around the adults, but not in front of the kids.

"Uncle Henry has a girlfriend?" Willian asks with a weird expression.

"Lucy?" Thomas adds, beside his brother.

"NO," The actor emphasizes quite quickly. "I don't have a girlfriend," He says, latching Kal's lead into his collar. "Uncle Simon is joking."

"What's a girlfriend?" Harry asks, frowning in confusion as he looks at his father.

"It's when..." Thomas starts to explain but Henry cuts him off.

"Nothing you should worry about, mate," He says, grabbing the boy's head and leaving a kiss on top of it. "Now give Kal and Uncle Henry a hug because we're leaving."

-

After working in the morning, Liese tries to relax and take a nap. But she's too tired and with a head full to just lay in bed to wait for sleep to come.

Instead, she tries to chill out by studying. Unconventional, but what's new to the silver-haired doctor.

Just as she's reviewing her notes from a paper about a study on leukemia treatment, her phone starts to ring. She reaches out to the coffee table and retrieves the device.

A smile tugs on her lips at Henry's name on the screen.

"Hey," She smiles at him, answering the FaceTime call.

" _Hello, gorgeous,_ " The actor greets her with his handsome smile. " _I didn't know you wore glasses,_ " He tilts his head adorably.

"Only for reading when my eyes decide they had enough," The woman chuckles.

" _What are you up to?_ " Henry asks, biting his bottom lip slightly.

"Studying a bit," She replies and she can tell she just crushed his plans.

" _Oh,_ " He utters.

Liese chuckles slightly. "Why?"

"Nothing," The man shakes his head quickly. " _Kal and I were just wondering if you wanted to go to the dog park with us. But you're busy, so it's okay._ "

She laughs with mirth. "Well, tell Kal I'll be honored to go to the dog park with him," She says.

Henry's smile returns to his face. " _But what about your studies?_ " He frowns.

"It's not like I have a test or something like that," The woman replies, abandoning the paper on the coffee table. "I'm a doctor, love. I'll always have to study something," She explains.

" _Okay,_ " He says hesitantly. " _I just don't want to get in your way._ "

"You won't," Liese guarantees, walking towards her room. "Can I sleepover?"

" _You don't have to ask. I'll pick you up in a few,_ " Henry replies.

She frowns. "Nonsense. The dog park is your neighborhood. I won't let you drive all the way down to Brixton just to pick me up."

" _But I want to! I don't like making you take the Tube every time you come to see me,_ " The man tries.

"You don't make me, I chose to," Liese explains. "But I'll take an Uber if that'll bring you peace."

He makes a face. " _It doesn't. It actually makes me more uneasy. Just let me pick you up, please? I swear it's nothing..._ " He insists.

"[No! Stop insisting! I might cave if you continue to do this adorable pout,]" The woman replies in German unconsciously.

Henry's response is a delicious laugh. " _Okay, okay,_ " He says. " _I think I might have pissed you off right now but I hope you didn't just cuss me._ "

She chuckles, realizing the switch of the languages. "You didn't piss me off and I didn't cuss you," She clarifies. "But I'll hang up to get ready because I think Kal might get upset if I make him wait too much."

" _Oh, yes. We don't want that,_ " He shakes his head and glances over Kal. " _Actually, he's already too excited. Look._ "

The man turns the phone to the dog so they can see each other. A big smile takes over Liese's face as she sees the large bear sitting expectantly in front of his owner.

"Hey, Kal! How are you doing buddy?" Liese asks and his tail starts wagging immediately at the sound of her voice. "Do you wanna go to the park?"

The well-known question makes the dog stand up in all fours and bark on the phone. Then he tries to sniff and lick the device which makes the woman laugh.

"Alright, buddy. I'll be right there," She says to Kal and then Henry turns the phone back to him.

" _Wait! I have to ask one little thing,_ " He says.

Liese nods, biting her lip in concentration. "Shoot."

" _Can I go and pick you up?_ " A smirk grows on his lips slowly and a laugh reverberates through his chest as she rolls her eyes and ends the call without answering him.

-

"I'm just around the corner," The woman says immediately after picking up the call.

" _So, you'll be at the door when I get there?_ " Henry asks.

"Probably," She replies.

" _Okay, then,_ " He says. " _I'm walking towards the door._ "

Liese chuckles in amusement as the Uber driver stops in front of Henry's mews house. She mouths a 'thank you' through the rear-view mirror and steps out of the car. When the actor opens the front door, the phone glued to his ear, he makes good use of his quick reflexes to grab the giggly woman jumping to his arms.

His hands keep a strong grip on her things and he chuckles at the pleasant "surprise". With her arms around his neck, the woman kisses his neck softly before untangling herself from him to give some attention to Kal, who's barking like crazy. As usual, she greets the excited dog in German without sparing compliments.

Henry closes the front door and puts his phone down, looking back at the gorgeous woman peppering his dog's face with kisses.

"I had an idea!" Liese says, straighten up to her feet. "How about we make a picnic?" She suggests excitedly.

"A picnic?" He frowns. "Baby, it's cold outside," He points out.

Then he realizes: while he's wearing a T-shirt and warm sweatpants, the doctor is wearing a tank top and shorts.

"Aren't you cold?" The man asks.

"No, I'm fine," She shrugs off. "But I guess you're right," Liese nods, sounding very disappointed.

"You're so German," He says, shaking his head and walking towards her. "If you want to, we can have a picnic."

Her face lights up in excitement. "Really?" She asks, looking up at him.

"Really," Henry nods again, smiling at her.

He laughs with mirth when she, once again, jumps to his arms. "[You're the best,]" She says in German but the actor has a good idea of what it means. "What do you have here?"

Liese moves away from him to check his kitchen, but he grabs her arm before she can go any further. "Hold on," He says.

The woman looks back at him and he pulls her back. He reaches out to her face and seals their lips together. A small giggle escapes Liese's mouth when she opens it to let Henry's tongue get into it. She feels warm and tingly from the kiss and she glues her body to Henry's, fitting perfectly to his strong and tall build.

"Hey, you," She says quietly against his lips when they break the kiss.

"This is a proper hello," Henry pecks her lips.

"I like it," The woman agrees, clasping her arms around his neck and pulling for another kiss.

The second kiss doesn't last long as Kal jumps on them, whining. Liese laughs, looking down at the bear. The man groans slightly before looking at Kal too.

"You're supposed to help me out, pal," He says.

"He is," The woman says. "Why do you think I came all the way here from Brixton?" She teases.

"Oh, yeah? You can sleep with him today," Henry squeezes her waist.

"I will. He sleeps in your bed, anyway," She winks at him.

"Fuck, that's right," He laughs and Liese steals another kiss from him, but Kal paws them. "Alright, buddy."

Liese orders the man to go get ready while she prepares something for their picnic. She organizes everything she can find into plastic containers and Henry finds a bag to put the food into and a thick blanket. An overly excited Kal gets into his leash and they finally walk out of the house.

The actor doesn't let Liese carry the bag, so she walks with Kal.

"Did you go to work today?" The man asks casually.

"Yeah, but just for a little bit. One of my kids isn't doing great, I went to check on him," Liese replies.

"I'm sorry to hear that," He sends her a sympathetic look. "Is everything going to be okay?"

She sighs and Kal looks at her worryingly, picking up the shift in her humor. "I don't know," The doctor shakes her head. "This disease is really hard to figure out. The immune system can start functioning again or... I don't know," She shakes her head again. "How about you? How was your morning?" Liese changes the subject, smiling at him.

Henry doesn't press on the subject, instead, he smiles as well. "It was good, I had lunch at Nik's." 

"This sounds nice," She says, smiling wider. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, I was having a good time until they started teasing me," He shrugs off.

"Oh?" Liese looks at him, puzzled.

"Yeah," Henry scratches his beard in thought. "They're asking me about you and they've found your Instagram profile which _I_ haven't even seen before," The man says.

"Really?" She grins at him. "What did they say of me?"

Henry smiles. "I believe the words used were 'gorgeous" and 'hot'."

The woman frowns. "Which photo did they see to call me hot?"

"I may have shown a few from our date?" He replies with a face.

Liese's eyes widen. "With that dress?" He nods. "Oh my God, Henry! No! They must think I'm such a pretentious posh!" She says, mortified.

He laughs. "Look at you! Speaking British!" He teases.

The woman whines and tries to push him, but Henry doesn't budge an inch. "I'm serious!"

"You're great, love. They don't think that of you," The man reassures her.

"How do you know that?" She asks with a pout.

_Fuck. That's so adorable. She's so adorable. I'm so falling for her_ , Henry thinks.

"They've stalked your Instagram," He starts. "They're probably doing it again. You're not posh at all. You're thoughtful, you care for your patients, and you're lovely," The man places an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close.

Liese smiles, looking up at him lovingly. "And gorgeous and hot?" She raises an eyebrow jokingly.

"Well, that's obvious," He says.

The woman laughs and leaves a kiss in the corner of his jaw, which gives Henry goosebumps.

At the dog park, they set up their picnic blanket under a tree and Liese leaves the man there to play with Kal. The overly excited dog forgets his size and ends up knocking the doctor on her ass.

Henry quickly gets up, worried about her. "Kal!" He calls with a stern voice. "Are you okay?" He asks, reaching out a hand for Liese.

She giggles in response. "Yeah. I'm okay," She takes his hand and the actor quickly pulls her up.

With a frown, he looks at his dog. "That wasn't nice, Kal," He chides.

"Ah, don't scold him," The woman says, dusting off her backside. "He's just too excited and forgot his size," She defends the dog, petting his head fondly. "Right, buddy?"

"You're going to spoil my dog, aren't you?" Henry asks, watching Kal trots beside her as she walks towards their picnic blanket.

"I'm most definitely will," Liese nods, sitting down and looking up at him. "Wow, what a sight from down here," She immediately says.

The actor chuckles and shakes his head, taking a seat by her side.

"Say," She starts. "What would happen if I were to kiss the famous Superman actor, Henry Cavill, right now?" She teases.

His mouth waters and his pupils dilate immediately. "Guess we're going to find out," He says.

Biting her lip, Liese gets closer to him and places a hand on his cheek fondly. The kiss is short and sweet, after all, he's in the public eye and, although the park is empty, you'll never know if a paparazzi is lurking around.

The woman keeps her promise to spoil Kal as she gives him all the belly rubs he wants. Henry is mortified when the bear, not so kindly, pushes him away from Liese and takes his place. She simply laughs it off and kisses his pout.

After an hour or so in the park, they decide to head home. The doctor finally feels the tiredness catching up to her but she refuses to yawn while Henry excitedly tells her about a match he's gonna watch at his favorite pub next Friday with some friends.

"So, I was thinking," Henry starts not even fifteen minutes after they got back to his place. "I know it's too soon, but we could go out for dinner," He suggests. "It doesn't have to be in a fancy place, though," Henry adds, walking from the kitchen to his living room, where Liese is. "What do you think?"

He stops talking at the sight of the sleeping beauty snuggling with Kal on the sofa.

"I guess we're gonna order in, then," The man whispers, grabbing the overthrown blanket on the backrest of the sofa and covering her. "You're supposed to help me get the girl, not _steal_ her from me, mate," He says, patting Kal's head.

-

> **HENRY CAVILL GETS COZY AND PACKS ON PDA WITH A HOT STRANGER**
> 
> The 34-year-old Superman actor was seen out and about this afternoon with a mysterious white-haired woman and his dog. The couple shared a hug and a few kisses on a lovely picnic at the park.
> 
> While we do not have more information on the lucky lady, we know our beloved British Superman is back on the dating scene. Back in February, Cavill ended his relationship with stuntwoman Lucy Cork after almost a year together.
> 
> Check out the photos from the romantic picnic here.


	8. ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴠɪɪ - ℬ𝒶𝒹𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉 ℬ𝒾𝓉𝒸𝒽

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADS UP: German dialogue is marked with “[ ]”.

‘ _I wonder what Henry’s up to_ ’, the woman thinks.

She frowns. Having just come home from work, Liese is exhausted. But she doesn't feel like being alone tonight.

The first person she thinks of is him and she’s even more surprised by the fact that she misses him!

‘ _So much for getting my hopes up, huh?_ ’, she scoffs, searching for her phone.

She smiles and lets him know that she’s going to get ready.

After a quick shower, she puts on warm clothes and makeup. The simple pin-up look goes well with the color of her hair and Liese realizes it’s been a long time since last she wore red lipstick.

To get there faster, Liese calls an Uber and, oh how she regrets it. It’s chillier than usual tonight and sitting in the cold Tube is nightmare-inducing. However, having the Uber driver hitting on her all the way is also not the best...

Liese clearly isn’t keen on a conversation but he insists on it. To make things even worse, it’s Friday night and there’s traffic. So the doctor practically leaps from the car when the man parks in front of the pub.

The Builders Arms is a big pub but it’s packed. Well, again, it’s a Friday night, and it looks like there’s a match of some sort going on.

Running her eyes through the crowd, Liese quickly spots Henry’s broad shoulders and begins making her way towards him. His back is turned away from the entrance so he doesn’t see her but his friends sure do.

The three men staring at her don’t tear their eyes away as she approaches the small group. However, they seem disappointed, but not surprised, when the doctor goes straight towards Henry, resting a hand on the actor’s shoulder to get his attention.

“Hey,” She greets, a warm smile spreading across her lips.

He turns around to look at her. “Hey you,” Henry wraps an arm around her waist as she gives a friendly kiss on his cheek, leaving a faint mark of lipstick on it.

“Sorry, it took me so long to get here,” The woman starts, backing up to look at his face. Then, she reaches out to rub off the red imprint of her lips from his skin. “The traffic was awful tonight.”

“It’s okay. You’re ravishing,” Henry says and she smiles but, before she could say anything, one of his friends clears their throat. “Oh, sorry, let me introduce you to my mates. This is Mark, Juan, Roger, James, and my brother, Simon,” She shakes hands with each man he introduces, smiling. “This is Liese.”

“Nice to meet you guys,” Liese says.

“You, too,” Roger says. “You’re really pretty,” He adds and he would give Henry a pat in the back if he wasn’t across from him at the table.

It doesn’t stop the man from shooting him a glare. “Thanks,” She chuckles.

“Please, have a seat,” Simon says from beside his brother and Henry pulls the chair for her. “Heard a great deal about you lately,” He then says and Liese smiles at him.

“All lies,” She says, making them chuckle. “I’m as bad as they come.”

Although she feigned normalcy when greeting him, it didn’t go unnoticed that Henry just introduced her to his brother, a part of his family – and, of course, a bunch of friends. They’d known each other for less than a month; it was a huge deal.

The woman makes a mental note to kill Henry later.

“What will the lady have?” Mark asks and they look at him. “Wine?” He suggests.

She almost snorts for two reasons: his suggestion and what he called her. But, hey, she must be nice.

“Wine is for priests, love,” Liese jokes with a smirk. “I’ll have a pint, thank you very much – Oh, and the menu, please. I’m starving.”

Henry chuckles at his friends’ reaction and signals to the bartender. “Alright,” Mark nods. “I like you already,” He decides and she winks at him playfully.

“It’s the match over already?” The woman asks, trying to make conversation.

“No,” Juan replies. “Halftime,” He explains.

“Oh,” She says.

Her pint is placed in front of her alongside the menu. She orders a burger with French fries and mozzarella sticks. When the waiter leaves, she can finally take a drink.

“Hm, rugby. Of course,” Liese says to herself as she looks up at the flat screen everybody has their eyes locked on.

“Not a fan?” Simon asks, leaning on his elbows to look at her.

“I don’t know much about it, to be honest,” She replies, mirroring his position.

All the eyes snap in her direction. “Are you serious?” Henry asks in disbelief.

“No. I’m a football kinda woman, you know that,” The woman shrugs and he chuckles.

“That’s true,” He nods.

“Where are you from, Liese?” James asks and she looks at him before glancing back at Henry.

“I really don’t look British, do I?” She narrows her eyes.

The man laughs. “No, you don’t,” He shakes his head.

“Well,” Liese looks back at his friend. “I was born and raised in Hampstead but my family is from the Land of Poets and Thinkers…” She replies humorously.

Everybody chuckles, except Juan. “Which is?” He asks.

The woman looks at him in disbelief. “Deutschland!”

“Germany,” Some of the guys say at the same time as her.

“Oh,” He nods. “That doesn’t make sense,” Juan shakes his head.

“Cmon!” Liese throws her hands in the air in frustration. “I’ll give you some names: Nietzsche, Marx, Adorno, Horkheimer, Kant, Goethe, Beethoven, Bach, freaking Einstein, even the Grimm Brothers,” She ticks each name on her fingers.

They laugh and Henry rests his arm on the backrest of her seat. “Okay,” Juan nods, fairly convinced.

“I could go on,” The woman says. “And that’s just the ones on the top of my head.”

He shakes his head. “You’ve made your point.”

She nods, sipping on her drink and leaning back on her chair. Henry’s hand squeezes her shoulder fondly.

“Do you still live in Hampstead?” Simon asks.

“Nope. I’m on the other side of the river, at Brixton,” She replies and they start to boo her.

“Ah, you’re from the south,” James makes a disgusted face.

“Yeah, I know,” The woman shrugs off. “I did grow up on this side of the river, though!” She points out. “But the south it’s not that bad, guys,” Another round of boos. “Plus, it’s closer to work,” She adds.

“Now, don’t try to defend your side, South,” Mark mocks, taking a sip of his beer.

Liese chuckles. “Where do you work?” Roger asks and she looks at him.

“At St. Thomas’ Hospital,” She replies.

“Are you a doctor or a nurse?” James inquiries. “Or neither?”

“Doctor. A&E and pediatrician,” Liese explains.

“It means she’s smart,” Henry brags, sipping his beer and resting back on his chair.

“Yeah. I think we got it from the list of poets and thinkers,” Juan mocks.

She winks at him playfully. “You got it, baby,” Liese smiles.

“So, I got a question,” Mark starts and she nods for him to proceed. “Why the silver hair? I don’t see many doctors looking this cool.”

“I lost a bet to my younger brother,” The doctor replies. “A football bet,” She adds and they seem incredulous.

“Seriously?” James asks.

The woman shrugs. “Yeah. It’s just a thing we do.”

Their conversation dies when the second period of the match starts and the male attention drifts back to the TV. Although rugby is not Liese’s cup of tea, her eyes are fixed on the flat screen as well. She doesn’t know the rules and there’s a lot of tackling going on but she doesn’t mind. This is way better than being alone at home.

“ _Bärchen_!” The shout from not so far is enough to make Liese sigh.

“I’m sorry,” She whispers to Henry, who’s heavily engrossed in the match.

“Huh?” He glances at her with a frown and she shakes her head slightly.

Roger grimaces at the shirtless man coming their way as Liese simply waits for her brother to get to her.

“Drunk guy alert,” He says and the woman rolls her eyes.

“[I knew it was you, B _ärchen_!]” Her brother says with a huge smile, standing beside the woman.

Her jaw almost drops to the floor when she looks up at him to find the man shirtless, displaying his tattoo collection on the rippled muscles for everyone to see.

“What the fuck?” She asks in disbelief. “[Why are you shirtless, asshole?]” Liese stands up.

He quickly wraps his arms around her and she groans without patience. She’s very aware of multiple sets of eyes staring at them but mostly the stench of alcohol coming from her brother.

“[Alright, let go of me],” She taps his back.

“[I’ve missed you],” He pulls away.

“[You literally dropped me off at work this morning],” She points out, spotting their friends over his shoulder at a table in the far back.

“Mate, you can’t stay here shirtless,” A worker says, looking at her brother.

“I’m taking care of it,” The woman reassures before turning to her table. “Excuse me, gentlemen,” She says before pushing her brother away.

“Who’s that?” James asks as they watch the woman escorting the shirtless tattooed man away.

“No idea,” Henry replies, trying not to feel as jealous as he already is.

His eyes linger on Liese from across the bar as she greets other men, scolding at a particular one and her brother, who’s pulling a shirt over his head.

The looks she received from men and even a few women on the way to the other table doesn’t go unnoticed. In fact, there are a few men still staring at the silver-haired woman and Henry suddenly feels the need to establish territory, which is incredibly stupid of him, but a basic instinct.

“[Weren’t you supposed to be babysitting tonight?]” She asks her brother, hands on her hips.

He shakes his head. “[Who are you here with?]” He asks, looking back at Henry’s table.

“[Do not deflect, Otto],” Liese says.

“[Is the guy you’re hooking up with?]” He continues and Henry glances back at them quickly.

“Otto…” She warns.

The man narrows his eyes. “[Hold on. Are you fucking Superman?]” He looks back at his sister with a smirk and she punches his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. Their friends laugh. “Goddamn, woman,” Otto hisses, rubbing the spot.

Liese sighs, looking back at her table. “Come on,” She says, starting to move away. “Don’t embarrass me,” The woman adds quickly.

“When do I ever embarrass you?” He asks, following after her, his German accent very thick as if he was in Germany all his life.

The woman glares back at him. “How about a few minutes ago when you’re half-naked in front of everyone? Or just now, asking if I’m fucking Superman,” She asks ironically.

Otto nods. “Got it,” He says, and for the first time tonight, he takes a proper look at his sister. “You’re very pretty tonight.”

The compliment is delivered just as they stop at Henry’s table and all the attention is back on them.

“Thank you,” She replies before addressing the other men. “Gentlemen, this is my brother, Otto...” The woman starts. “Otto, this is Henry, his brother, Simon, and his mates, Juan, Mark, James, and Roger,” She introduces them.

“Nice to meet you,” Her brother says, shaking their hands as Liese sits back down, shooting an apologetic look to Henry.

Brad looks at Otto with a funny expression. “You have an accent,” He points out.

He snorts. “You too, mate.”

“No. I mean, your sister doesn’t have one,” Brad clarifies.

“That’s because you’ve never pissed her off,” Her brother chuckles and Liese simply takes a sip of her beer, refraining from commenting on it. “Hey, is it cool if my mates and I sit here with you guys?”

For some reason, everybody looks at Henry as if it’s his decision.

“Yeah. Sure, mate,” The actor nods.

“Sweet,” Otto turns around and his sister quickly looks up at him.

“Don’t –,” She’s cut off by his loud whistle, exactly what she was trying to stop. “[Dear Lord],” She murmurs, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Henry’s soothing touch is what eases out the stress a bit and she smiles at him.

Otto motions for his friends to come over and they quickly abandon their table. He takes a seat next to Liese and she shoots him a murderous look to which he simply grins. The blonde man introduces Nick, Josh, Pete, and John when they arrive.

Thanks to the still-ongoing rugby match, they simply sit and start to pay attention to it. Liese knows her brother is not interested at all in the match, just like her, but he pretends to watch it just so he can avoid her confronting him.

The woman’s stomach grumbles when a waitress brings her food and she sighs happily, picking up the heavy burger. She’s aware of Otto’s eyes at her food and she doesn’t even take the first bite before he asks for one.

“This looks good,” He points out, looking at it suggestively.

She glares at him but gives him the burger anyway. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Liese asks, looking at the size of his bite when he gives her the burger back. He shrugs off. “You’re unbelievable.”

She takes a bite and Otto takes the burger again, giving it back without another huge chunk missing. Liese literally has two bites of her burger before she gives up and lets her brother have it. Ignoring her craving for the oily meat, she tries to satisfy herself with the French fries and mozzarella sticks.

A hand reaches out for her fries and she slaps it away. “Don’t you dare,” The woman seethes.

Her brother chuckles. “Want another one?” Henry gently asks.

Her mood shifts like a bipolar person and Liese smile, looking up at him. “No, it’s fine.”

“You sure?” He raises an eyebrow and she nods.

“Thanks, though,” She says.

“[That’s disgusting],” Otto murmurs from her side, mouthful.

Liese rolls her eyes before looking back at him. “[Dude, if you don’t shut up, I’ll make sure you don’t have kids ever again],” She threatens.

Her brother chuckles. “[You’re so whipped],” He keeps teasing. “[But he looks whipped, too],” Otto adds.

“Shut up, Otto,” The woman groans, too tired to deal with his bullshit.

“I’m serious,” He insists.

Something happens at the rugby match because everybody cheers and Otto stops teasing his sister, trying to understand what happened. While they watch the game, the men at the table express several emotions with curse words in each sentence.

Liese finds it amusing because they were trying to be very polite and gentlemen with her earlier, avoiding any kind of dirty word or term to not offend her. Now, they’re simply being themselves, without caring about anything. Or they simply forgot about her.

Even Henry, who doesn’t cuss a lot outside the bedroom, has expressed quite a few unpleasant words towards the referee out of discontentment.

It’s completely alright, though. The woman is probably the same or even worse when it’s a football match. As of now, she sips her beer while watching them have some fun.

“FUCK YEAH!” Roger shouts after the referee ended the game, guaranteeing England’s win.

The whole bar cheers and the man looks back, finding Liese’s eyes on him, an amused smirk on her lips. She snuggled closer to Henry during the game and now she’s pressed to his side. Her right foot is propped on her chair and she’s resting a hand on the actor’s thigh, while he has his arm draped over the back of her chair.

Experience taught him to be discreet with relationships, but Liese isn’t giving a single fuck. They were in the Daily Mail last month.

The doctor raises an eyebrow at Roger’s sour expression. “What?” She asks.

“Sorry,” He says meekly.

“What for?” Liese frowns.

“I think I got carried away with the match and forgot about the lady at the table,” The man explains.

She chuckles while Otto and their friends laugh loudly. Roger seems very confused with the reaction to his apology and the other men stare at them with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

“Who’s this lady and when is she coming back?” Otto howls.

“You guys don’t know Lis. This woman is crazy,” Nick says, shaking his head.

“I just met them, idiot!” Liese rolls her eyes.

“Are you trying to impress someone, _Bärchen_?” Josh asks with a grin.

“ _Nein_ ,” The woman shakes her head slightly, drinking her beer. “But it looks like I’m about to,” She points out.

“Well, let me tell you a few things about the… _lady_ ,” Her brother’s best friend starts.

For the next few minutes, the guys rave on and on about the woman, somehow trying to point out how she’s not a lady.

Henry shifts on his seat. Jealousy is the feeling of the moment. He’s not very fond of four unknown men talking about the woman he’s with, saying things he doesn’t know about her. The simple fact that they know her for longer is unnerving.

“It’s not because she’s my sister, but Lis is like… The baddest bitch I know,” Otto says and I look at him with an amused expression on my face. “I’d take her to every college party I went to.”

“Weren’t you ashamed of bringing your big sister to a party?” Simon asks.

He shakes his head. “The opposite, actually. I wouldn’t beg her to come because she always said yes from the start, but _Bärchen_ was, and still is, the first person I’d call,” Her brother explains.

“Hadn’t you graduated by the time he got into college?” Henry asks the woman.

“Ideally,” Liese nods. “But med school takes forever sometimes. I was starting residency when Otto got into college so, technically, I still was a student,” She says. “And I’d always say yes because med students are fucking boring and never have some fun.”

“Anyway. We’d party so much. _Bärchen_ would drink the same amount of us if not more,” He continues. “In the next morning, she was the one taking care of five or six dudes, I included, in the ER. Hooking us to IV bags or pumping stomachs, as if she had a perfect night of sleep instead of partying with us,” Otto shakes his head, looking at his sister with admiration.

She chuckles. “Alright. You guys are being too nice,” She says. “What do you want?”

“Nothing,” John dismisses quickly.

Liese tilts her head and raises an eyebrow, staring at them. “Well, if you’d be so kind as to check out a few bikes for us…” Nick suggests nonchalantly.

Josh scolds him and Pete nudges his arm in a scolding manner as the woman laughs. “See? I knew it!” She grins. “I’ll take a look at my schedule and let you know.”

Her brother nods. “How many siblings do you have?” Roger asks.

“We’re five. Four men and her,” Otto replies.

“So you’re daddy’s little girl,” Juan says.

Some men cringe at that, Henry included, but some laugh, and Liese can’t help but chuckle along. “Please, don’t say that,” Simon says.

“Yes. Dad sometimes pampers me as the only daughter,” Liese replies. “But I know better than waiting for a special treatment being one out of five.”

“Pampers?” Otto asks with sarcasm. “You’re downright spoiled rotten by dad, _Bärchen_.”

“Am not,” She counters and her brother gives her a pointed look.

“The man nearly died when you moved out and, to refresh your memory, he’d call you multiple times a day or randomly show up at your apartment,” He says.

She tilts her head in thought and slowly nods. “Okay. I might be somewhat spoiled,” The woman agrees. “I’ve just realized he stopped showing up since I moved,” She points out.

“Maybe he doesn’t have a key,” Her brother suggests. “At least he won’t give him a heart attack,” He nods his head towards Henry.

“[Dad doesn’t know about him],” She says in German so only Otto could understand but Josh did too.

“Huh?” The actor asks with a frown.

Otto looks at him and smirks before taking a sip of his beer.

I chuckle before starting to answer. “Since I moved out of my parents, dad would randomly show up at my apartment. Usually in the mornings. He wanted to check if I was okay and would make me breakfast.”

“Spoiled,” Her brother says under his breath and rolls his eyes, earning a slap on his arm.

“He had a spare key, so he’d let himself in,” Liese paused. “He wasn’t happy when I started having guys over…” She trails off and a collective “ooh” feels the table. “Then I lectured him about privacy and boundaries.”

“Did that work?” Simon asks.

“No,” The guys laugh. “But he found out he enjoyed the element of surprise.”

“And being a total creep,” Her brother adds.

“Instead of waking me up, and my company, with a scare, he would sit in the corner of the room or at the end of the bed and watch us sleep,” The guys cringe. “I’ve got used to it pretty quickly but my dad is a big, burly, German guy so it was funny to watch grownup men nearly having a heart attack at the sight of him.”

“How many guys came back?” Brad asks.

“Three,” The woman replies.

“And you guys?” Roger asks Otto.

“Ah, now that’s fun,” He smirks, standing up. “I’m gonna take a piss,” He announces.

A few guys look at Liese. “It’s okay. I’m not offended by that. We’re already established that I’m not a lady. I grew up around men and I’m always around you bunch,” She clarifies.

Her brother says something in German that makes Liese’s jaw drop and Josh laugh loudly. Otto has a massive grin on his face and flinches away from the woman when she reaches out to grab him, nearly stumbling on his own feet. Then, she proceeds to profess multiple curse words at him.

Her angry gaze turns to the man still laughing at the table. “[What do you know about that?]” She asks him, not bothering to switch back to English.

“Bärchen…” Josh gives her a knowing look. “What do you think?”

“[Did that asshole tell you?]” Liese points at Otto, who’s watching from afar.

“No,” The man shakes his head, not giving too much so the others wouldn’t have a clue about what they’re talking about and it’s working.

It’s pissing Henry off.

“[If I ever hear you thinking about it, I’ll kill you],” She threatens.

“Hey. I didn’t bring it up!” Josh defends himself.

“What’s the matter, _Bärchen_?” Otto smirks from a safe distance.

“Fuck you,” The woman seethes at him.

Eyebrows shot up at her words. “Oh, he’s dead,” Nick shakes his head.

“You can speak German?” Roger asks Josh curiously, after watching the exchange before him and Liese.

“ _Nein_ ,” The man replies humorously. “Their four-year-old niece speaks better than I do, but I can understand them.”

“Spit it out, Josh,” Liese demands after her brother disappears inside the bathroom.

He was in the middle of drinking from his beer. Instead of swallowing, he inhales and the shit is done. Josh chokes on the beer and spits it at the table, starting a coughing fit.

The woman grimaces. “Not literally, idiot,” She says, throwing a napkin at him. “What happened?” Her tone changes from angry to worried.

“What’s going on?” Henry asks, frowning.

“I don’t know,” Josh starts and coughs a few more times. “He said he couldn’t come tonight and he was all excited, saying he’d get Bobby…”

“Two hours later he showed up, smelling like a bottle of whiskey, and nearly punched me when I asked about Bobby,” John goes on.

Liese groans, covering her face with her hands. “Not this shit again,” She mumbles to herself. “Thank God I have white hair ‘cause this is draining my life force!”

“But he’s not drinking anymore,” Nick points out. “He’s been nursing this pint since he spotted you and that’s warm by now.”

Liese nods along, realizing it now. The pint is full.

“Who’s Bobby?” Henry asks and the woman looks over at him.

When she opens her mouth to explain, Otto appears in the corner of her eye. “I’ll explain it later,” She says. “Not a word about it,” She glares at the others.

“Hi! Can I have a towel?” Josh asks the waiter. “I made a mess, I’m so sorry,” He grimaces apologetically.

Her brother refuses to sit next to her again, knowing he’d suffer for his comment earlier. So he switches seats with Nick. The poor waitress manages to clean Josh’s mess and blushes profusely at his sexy smirk.

“Dude, don’t you have a movie or something coming out anytime soon?” John asks Henry, finally bringing the inevitable Hollywood topic to their conversation.

Henry thinks for a bit. “Yeah, yeah. Mission Impossible is coming out shortly,” He nods.

“Finally,” Simon adds.

The actor chuckles at the comment. “Yeah, finally,” He agrees.

“Oh, shit. I’ve seen the trailer for it! It looks so amazing, mate! When can we watch it?” Josh pipes in, excited.

“Thanks, mate. Uh, I know for sure that the world premiere is gonna be in Paris, 12th of July, to be exact,” He says.

‘ _That’s close_ ’, Liese thinks to herself.

“But I’m pretty sure there’s a premiere here too, I just don’t know the date. The promotion for this film is gonna be massive,” Henry finishes.

“When are you leaving for it?” His brother inquires.

“Officially, in a couple of weeks,” He replies.

‘Wow’, the woman is impressed by the information she’s hearing for the first time in forever.

“But I have meetings with Dany and there’s a couple of events that I have to go before it, so I’m flying to America next week and just gonna go from there.”

Liese sees the glances she gets from her brother and Josh from the corner of her eye. She simply licks her lips and takes a sip of her pint, acting as if she always knew about everything Henry said.

She can’t help but feel like an idiot that has been strung along all this time. Sure, they’ve never put a label on their relationship but he obviously has been keeping that information for a long time and now the actor slapped an expiration date on whatever they have going on.

However, the woman doesn’t let this affect her night. Everybody drinks and talks with a chill atmosphere around them, but Liese can’t ignore the other pressing issue: Otto’s family drama. She wonders how much longer her brother is gonna play pretend.

So she asks it. “[Otto, for how long are you going to pretend everything is fine?]” The woman bluntly asks.

Even though he’s now sitting across from the table, everybody understands it’s a private conversation since they switch to German.

His whole demeanor changes. “[If we pretend there isn’t a problem, it’ll disappear, right?]” He says sarcastically.

“[Sure. You can also stare at the bottom of a whiskey bottle for the rest of your life but that’s alcoholism],” She replies in the same tone.

Otto sighs and brings his hands to his face, pressing on his closed eyelids. Josh tries not to pay attention to their conversation but he’s equally worried and also curious to know what’s going on.

“[Iris is acting up again, like the fucking maniac she is],” Her brother confesses.

“[Yeah, we already established that you have the worst taste for women],” Liese points out. “[What’s she bitching about now?]”

“[She doesn’t want to allow my daughter to spend time with her fucking father because I date ‘whores and I don’t want my child around this kind of people’,]” He makes air quotes.

Just talking about it angers Otto. His blood boils at the stupidity his former-hookup pulls to make his life a living hell.

He rolls his eyes and his nostrils flare. Suddenly, he feels too sober to deal with it without exploding, so he gulps at his pint, regretting it immediately as the beverage has warmed up to room temperature.

His sister, on the other hand, laughs. But it drips with sarcasm.

“[What a fucking hypocrite],” She shakes her head at it.

“[Tell me about it],” Otto murmurs, searching the waitress with his eyes. “Hey! Could you bring another one to me, please?” He asks in English. “And an Irish Car Bombs,” He orders.

Eyes turn to him at his specific request and Liese shakes her head slightly at Josh.

“Make it two Irish shots,” The woman pipes in and she notices Henry’s glance at her.

“One pint, two Irish Car Bombs,” She repeats to make sure.

“You got it, sweetheart,” Otto nods.

The waitress nods and quickly walks away, blushing. Josh elbows the German guy and gives him a dirty look, making Otto shrug off.

“[What are you going to do?]” Liese brings back the pressing issue.

“[I don’t fucking know!]” Her brother seems desperate. “[I can’t reason with that bitch because she’s beyond it but I want and need to see my daughter as I have the right to].”

“[You can serve her],” She suggests and Otto visibly stiffens at her words. “[Just like she served you for child support that you were already paying],” She points out.

“[Uh, I don’t know about that],” The man hesitates. “[This seems too much. I want to keep my relationship with Iris amicable].”

Liese stares at him like he’s demented. “[Amicable? What’s fucking amicable in that relationship, Otto? She’s literally forbidding you to see your own daughter!]”

“[Still won’t do it. That’s the deep end],” Her brother shakes his head.

Before the woman could say anything else, the waitress came back with their drinks. She quickly set the full glasses on the table before walking away with another blush, now caused by Josh’s wink.

“Stop that,” Liese says to him.

“What?” He asks.

“She’s working. She doesn’t need another man-whore making her night harder.”

“But I’m not doing anything,” Josh complains, smirking.

The woman gives him a dirty look, taking the shot glass. “Bet?” Otto suggests and her eyes turn to him.

“You sure?” A smile starts to creep on her face. “I’m shit at football bets but this,” She makes a face. “This is my shit. To this day, you’ve never managed to beat me,” She points out.

“Yet,” Her brother corrects her. “Tonight is gonna be different,” They clink their shots.

“I don’t know about that,” She tilts her head slightly, tapping the glass on the tabletop as Otto mimics her movements.

Quickly, money piles up in front of John. “Anyone want to bet on my mate Otto to boost up his confidence?” The man asks and Liese throws her head back in laughter.

“You all suck,” Otto scowls at their friends.

Nick explains what they’re betting on and most of Henry’s friends don't believe that the woman can chug down the drink faster than her brother, the actor included. In the end, they’ve gathered two-hundred pounds in total.

“I get a share of this, right?” Liese points to the cash.

“Of course,” Josh winks at her and raises his fist for her to bump.

“There’s no way you can beat him,” Simon interjects, shaking his head in disbelief. “He’s twice your size,” He points out as if it’s a valid point.

She chuckles. “Watch me,” The woman says, picking up her shot glass again. “There’s still time to give up,” She raises an eyebrow at her brother.

“Just do it,” Otto shakes his head.

“Alright. Don’t cheat, you little shit,” She says.

They clink their drinks and tap them on the table again, before eyeing John to do the countdown. After dropping the shot inside the Guinness pint, it’s game. Both of them rush to bring the glass to their lips and chug the drink down faster than the other as the people around cheer.

As announced, the woman beats her brother easily and she puts her glass down with a small smile, licking the foam from her red lips. Their friends celebrate along with James and Juan, who also betted on Liese, as the others look at her in shock.

“I want to marry you so badly right now,” Mark says to Liese.

She chuckles and Otto gives him a dirty look. “With the little faith that you put in me, I don’t think so.”

At the mention of a wedding, some of the guys realized they have wives at home and called it a night. Their table collectively decides to ask for the check to leave.

Josh suddenly disappears as they make their way to the door and Henry gets stopped to take photos with fans. While he does his thing, Liese waits for him, who stays behind with his brother, at the entrance of the bar.

The sound of her laugh makes the actor glance at her and there she is, with the most genuine smile on her face, looking at his friends while sandwiched between Nick and Pete. Her sparkling eyes look up at Nick as he says something and her form shakes with another laugh, her head resting back on Pete’s shoulder.

“Henry, can I take one, too? I’m a big fan!” The female voice makes him look back.

He smiles, momentarily ignoring the scene outside. “Sure.”

Then, he quickly excuses himself and joins the group with Simon. “Oh, no,” Liese says as Mark finishes his story.

“Yeah,” He nods, his lips in a thin line. “But everything is fine now,” He smiles again.

“Well, I’m so sorry about that,” She adds. “You can let me go now - thank you,” She says to Nick and Pete quickly and untangle themselves from her. “There’s a bunch of assholes still in practice. The good ones are rarely seeing patients. Usually, they start to teach. But, in the name of good professionals, I apologize,” The woman continues.

Mark chuckles. “Don’t sweat,” He shakes his head slightly.

“Well, I should go,” Brad starts.

The goodbyes start. Henry’s friend says Liese is great and she says the same to them. They also bid their goodbyes to the woman’s friends.

“There’s one of you missing,” Juan points out.

Pete looks around. “Where the fuck is Josh?”

Liese scoffs. “Where do you think? He’s either coming back with the waitress or her number,” She says after hugging Roger.

They chuckle but agree with her. “Lis, I can drop you off,” John offers as the designated driver for the night.

Her petty self nearly gets the best of her, but she thinks before replying: “It’s fine, John. Thank you, though.”

The man nods and then Liese starts to bid goodbye to them. When Otto opens his arms to hug his sister, she clutches a fistful of his hair. The man hisses in pain as she pulls his head down to her height but he chuckles when she whispers a threat in his ear. She hasn’t forgotten about what he said earlier before sitting across from her to not get punched.

Well, it doesn’t work.

Suddenly, Josh materializes himself as if he was with the group the whole time. Liese turns to him and scowls, in a big sister mode.

“What?” He asks.

“Do not fuck the girl,” She chides.

There it is: his lips pull in a huge grin. “I won’t,” He starts. “Not tonight, at least. But I got her number,” He confesses.

Liese rolls her eyes as the men roar in laughter at her right guess and swat his arm. Either way, she pulls him for goodbye and he plays a chaste kiss on her cheek. For Henry, his lips lingered way too long on his girl.

Everybody parts way and Liese is left alone with Henry and Simon. She hugs his brother and tells him how happy she is for meeting him. He reciprocates all the compliments, adding a few of his own, before getting into an Uber.

“Did you drive here?” The woman looks at him, after what seems like a long time.

“No, I walked,” He replies. “We could get an Uber too,” Henry suggests.

“I’d prefer to walk if you don’t mind,” She tilts her head slightly.

The man nods, motioning her to go ahead. “By all means,” He says and they walk side by side, however, without touching.

After a while, when they’re away from the crowded bar, she sighs with a content smile on her face. “Thank you for letting me come,” Liese says, honestly, looking at him. “I didn’t want to spend the night alone.”

“Of course,” He nods again. “You okay,” He adds as notices her petite form shivering slightly.

She shakes her head, dismissively. “Just a little cold,” The woman replies, looking straight ahead. She halts when Henry’s buff body blocks her way and looks up at him with a frown. “Wha-?”

Liese is cut off by the man pulling his beanie off and carefully puts it on her head. Her heart flutters and she smiles at his focused frown as he adjusts the hat.

“There you go,” Henry says with a nod.

She stands on her tiptoes and presses her lips against his before he could blink again. He becomes stiff from the sudden move but relaxes when she giggles.

“You’re something else,” She whispers against his lips.

Henry smiles and wraps his arm around her to keep her warm before they resume the walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! Here we are! Thank you so much who stuck with me. I don’t really know why this took such a long time, so here it is a very long chapter to compensate lol


End file.
